O papel dos bancos comunitários no fortalecimento da economia popular : uma análise do Banco Cascata

O presente estudo visa analisar de que forma as ações desenvolvidas pelo Banco Comunitário de Desenvolvimento Cascata orientadas ao fortalecimento dos negócios populares da comunidade contribuem para fortalecer as dinâmicas locais da economia popular. O Banco Cascata foi fundado em 2016 e está situado no bairro do mesmo nome, na periferia de Porto Alegre. O estudo traz uma análise de uma série de atividades de capacitação realizadas pelo banco entre 2019 e 2021, em parceria com o NEGA/UFRGS, visando o fortalecimento dos chamados “negócios populares”, nomenclatura utilizada pelo Banco Cascata para definir as experiências de empreendedorismo identificadas na região. Para começar, o trabalho apresenta a revisão teórica, trabalhando principalmente com o referencial sobre Bancos Comunitários e economia solidária, bem como os estudos sobre economia popular, um conceito central para entender as experiências econômicas analisadas. Seguidamente, é realizada uma análise para entender de que forma essas ações e capacitações são percebidas pelos participantes e qual seu impacto para a continuidade dos empreendimentos aqui pesquisados, bem como para as dinâmicas locais da economia popular. Trata-se de uma pesquisa qualitativa, de caráter exploratório, que se utilizou principalmente da análise de informações e documentos, a observação no local e a entrevista com um grupo de participantes das atividades. O trabalho reforça a importância das atividades desenvolvidas pelo Banco Comunitário Cascata para o fortalecimento da economia popular, desenvolvidas apesar das limitações do contexto da pandemia em 2020 e 2021 e que têm permitido maior incidência nos negócios populares, ampliando a atuação do Banco. Entretanto, aponta suas fragilidades, já que está, sustentado quase que exclusivamente no trabalho voluntário de uma pequena equipe de ativistas, funciona com poucos recursos, e, até o momento, se concentra na realização de feiras de trocas, carecendo de outros mecanismos de impacto na comunidade que poderiam alavancar sua atuação.The present study aims to analyze how the actions developed by the Cascata Community Development Bank aimed at strengthening popular businesses in the community contribute to strengthening the local dynamics of the popular economy. Banco Cascata was founded in 2016 and is located in the neighborhood of the same name, on the outskirts of Porto Alegre. The study presents an analysis of a series of training activities carried out by the bank between 2019 and 2021, in partnership with NEGA/UFRGS, aimed at strengthening the so-called “popular businesses”, a nomenclature used by Banco Cascata to define the entrepreneurship experiences identified. in the region. To begin with, the work presents the theoretical review, working mainly with the reference on Community Banks and solidarity economy, as well as studies on popular economy, a central concept to understand the economic experiences analyzed. Then, an analysis is carried out to understand how these actions and training are perceived by the participants and what their impact is for the continuity of the enterprises researched here, as well as for the local dynamics of the popular economy. This is a qualitative, exploratory research, which used mainly the analysis of information and documents, on-site observation and interviews with a group of participants in the activities. The work reinforces the importance of the activities carried out by the Cascata Community Bank for the strengthening of the popular economy, developed despite the limitations of the pandemic context in 2020 and 2021 and which have allowed a greater incidence in popular businesses, expanding the performance of the Bank that. However, it points out its weaknesses, as it is based almost exclusively on the voluntary work of a small team of activists, works with few resources, and, so far, has focused on holding exchange fairs, lacking other impact mechanisms. in the community that could leverage their performance

Os desafios da Gestão Participativa de Áreas de Proteção Ambiental (APAs) no Brasil e as Contribuições da Noção de Negociação Política

Desde a instituição do Sistema Nacional de Unidades de Conservação da Natureza (SNUC) por meio da Lei Federal n.º 9.985/2000, a gestão participativa de Unidades de Conservação (UCs), entre elas as Áreas de Proteção Ambiental (APAs), passou a ser obrigatória no Brasil. O documento determina que estas áreas devem dispor de um conselho presidido pelo órgão responsável por sua administração e constituído por representantes dos órgãos públicos, de organizações da sociedade civil e da população residente. Entretanto, embora o dispositivo legal determine tal perfil para a gestão destas áreas, a realidade tem se mostrado outra. Dados do Cadastro Nacional de Unidades de Conservação apontam, por exemplo, que passados 13 anos da instituição da lei, existem unidades que não constituíram conselho gestor ou elaboraram um plano de manejo, documento que orienta o uso e ocupação do território protegido. Em uma perspectiva acadêmica, a literatura acerca do tema pouco trata do processo de participação em si, sobre as dinâmicas que se dão no momento em que esta acontece, os jogos de interesses e os conflitos inerentes aos sujeitos e grupos, ou seja, sobre o processo de negociação que ocorre ao se realizar uma gestão por conselho. Diante deste cenário, o presente artigo apresenta e discute, a partir de revisão de literatura, a noção de negociação política e as práticas que a ela se relacionam, apontando caminhos para o estudo e a prática da gestão participativa de áreas de proteção

Stress and recovery perception, creatine kinase levels, and performance parameters of male volleyball athletes in a preseason for a championship

Background: Training load and adequate recovery have been identified as essential elements to improve wellbeing and performance in team sports and avoid non-functional overreaching and overtraining. Objective: This cohort study sought to analyze the stress and recovery perceptions, creatine kinase levels (CK), and vertical jump performance of volleyball athletes at different training times during a championship preseason. Methods: Thirteen high-level male volleyball players (23.80 ± 5.40 years, 91.50 ± 8.80 kg, and 193.10 ± 6.40 cm) completed the RESTQ-Sport questionnaire on stress and recovery perception, and blood samples were collected to evaluate CK levels. These measures were performed six times over 16 weeks, while jumps such as squat jump (SJ), countermovement jump (CMJ), and countermovement jump arm (CMJA) were performed at three of those times for specific performance evaluation. Results: The stress perception and recovery perception indices increased and decreased, respectively, in the precompetitive phase, while CK levels presented an initial rise, maintenance over the training period, and a drop. Vertical jump heights increased significantly throughout the preparatory period regardless of the type of jump. In all training phases, CMJA values exceeded CMJ and SJ values, and CMJ values exceeded SJ values. Conclusions: Positive adaptations were elicited by training stimuli, resulting in improvements in performance. Conversely, load training variables indicated higher levels of stress and muscle damage, together with lower perceptions of recovery during the championship preseason

Automated Sorting: Mapping of selective collection disposal objects using artificial intelligence

Introdução: A inteligência artificial, especialmente na área de visão computacional, tem se destacado como uma ferramenta poderosa para diversas aplicações, incluindo a classificação de objetos. Neste estudo, desenvolvemos uma pesquisa aplicada que utiliza inteligência artificial para detectar e classificar objetos descartados como lixo em duas categorias principais: papel e metal. Método: A pesquisa se baseou em uma base de dados contendo cerca de 897 imagens de objetos descartados, sendo 448 imagens de papel e 449 imagens de metal. Utilizamos o modelo YOLOv5 (you only look once) para treinar e testar a detecção e classificação dos objetos. O YOLOv5 é conhecido por apresentar resultados promissores nesse tipo de tarefa. Resultados: Os resultados obtidos demonstraram que o modelo YOLOv5 apresentou um desempenho satisfatório na detecção e classificação dos objetos descartados. A precisão média alcançada foi de 0,88. Conclusão: O estudo mostra que o uso da inteligência artificial, por meio do modelo YOLOv5, é eficaz para detectar e classificar objetos descartados em categorias de reciclagem, como papel e metal. Essa abordagem pode contribuir significativamente para aprimorar o processo de coleta seletiva e a gestão de resíduos, promovendo práticas mais sustentáveis e conscientes em relação ao meio ambiente.Introduction:Artificial intelligence, especially in the field of computer vision, has emerged as a powerful tool for various applications, including object classification. In this study, we developed an applied research that utilizes artificial intelligence to detect and classify discarded objects as waste into two main categories: paper and metal. Method:The research was based on a database containing approximately 897 images of discarded objects, with 448 images of paper and 449 images of metal. We used the YOLOv5 (you only look once) model to train and test the object detection and classification. YOLOv5 is known for providing promising results in this type of task. Results:The obtained results demonstrated that the YOLOv5 model exhibited satisfactory performance in detecting and classifying the discarded objects. The achieved mean average precision was 0.88. Conclusion:The study shows that the use of artificial intelligence, through the YOLOv5 model, is effective in detecting and classifying discarded objects into recycling categories, such as paper and metal. This approach can significantly contribute to improving the selective collection process and waste management, promoting more sustainable and environmentally-conscious practices

Nd:YAG laser scribed zinc oxide on semi-flexible copper foils

In this work, a novel approach to synthesise zinc oxide (ZnO) directly on flexible copper substrates is proposed. The produced samples show a foam-like morphology made of agglomerates of small ZnO particles when processed at laser energy density of 18.0 J/cm2. On the other hand, the samples processed at higher beam energy density, i.e. 33.2 J/cm2, resulted in a more granular morphology, with some ZnO particles dispersed over the sample’s surface. Raman spectroscopy measurements demonstrated that this method resulted in the formation of wurtzite-ZnO crystalline phase in all samples. Room temperature photoluminescence spectroscopy analysis revealed the presence of a broad visible band in the orange-red region dominating the spectra, with a small contribution from the near band edge emission in the UV spectral region. Decreasing the beam energy fluence from 33.2 to 18.0 J/cm2 resulted in samples with higher overall visible band intensity, in line with what was observed for their crystalline quality. Moreover, the shift of the broad band maxima towards longer wavelengths could be an indication of the possibility of tuning the visible emission according to the chosen laser processing conditions.publishe

Prevalence of carotid artery calcifications among 2,500 digital panoramic radiographs of an adult Brazilian population

The aim of the present study was to analyze the epidemiological data of digital panoramic radiographs revealing suggestive images of carotid artery calcifications (CAC) from a Northeast Brazilian population. A cross-sectional retrospective study was conducted with 2,500 digital panoramic radiographs obtained from a single imaging reference center in Northeast Brazil. Images from individuals of both sexes and older than 18 years were included and those that did not cover the region of cervical vertebrae or presented low radiographic quality were excluded. Data were analyzed regarding prevalence, location (bilateral, right or left), sex, and age using the Chi-square test at the significance level of 5%. An amount of 96 (4%) patients presented suggestive images of CAC. The female sex (p=0.003) and individuals aged up to 70 years (p=0.002) were statically significant. 40.4% were found bilaterally, 37.6% on the right side (p<0.001) and 22% on the left side. In conclusion, this study showed a low prevalence of suggestive images of CAC in digital panoramic radiographs from a Northeast Brazilian population. It was observed a higher prevalence of CAC associated with female sex, older patients, and right side location

Bioequivalence of dermatological topical medicines : the Brazilian scenario and the challenges for health surveillance

A avaliação comparativa exigida para registro das formulações tópicas genéricas no Brasil é feita por meio do estudo de equivalência farmacêutica que avalia apenas os parâmetros físico-químicos e microbiológicos dos medicamentos. Internacionalmente, estudos clínicos ou farmacodinâmicos vêm sendo exigidos para comprovar a eficácia e a segurança das formulações genéricas tópicas semissólidas. Este trabalho apresenta uma comparação entre os diferentes requerimentos para registro de uma formulação tópica, considerando diferentes autoridades regulatórias, e faz um levantamento dos produtos tópicos dermatológicos registrados no Brasil até 2013. Tal levantamento demonstrou haver uma grande quantidade de cópias desse tipo de formulação no Brasil em comparação com os EUA. Este fato, associado à grande quantidade de estudos encontrados na literatura demonstrando bioinequivalência de medicamentos tópicos, evidencia a grande importância de uma readequação da legislação brasileira no que se refere aos requisitos técnicos para o registro de medicamentos genéricos e similares de aplicação tópica dermatológica no Brasil.The comparative evaluation required for the registration of generic topical medicines in Brazil is conducted by means of a pharmaceutical equivalence study, which merely assesses the physical/chemical and microbiological parameters of the formulations. At the international level, clinical or pharmacodynamic studies are now being required to prove the efficacy and safety of semisolid topical generic formulations. This work presents a comparison of the different requirements for the registration of topical formulations, taking into consideration the various regulatory authorities, and presents a survey of topical medicines registered in Brazil prior to 2013. The survey revealed that in comparison with the USA there were many more copies of these formulations registered in Brazil. This fact, together with the large number of studies in the literature showing the lack of bioequivalence of topical medication, is clear proof of the major importance of the need to realign Brazilian legislation with respect to the technical requirements for the registration of generic and similar medication for dermatological topical application in Brazil

Influência de reguladores de crescimento no desenvolvimento radicular de sementes de Coffea arabica L. Rubi in vitro

It was evaluated the effect of plant growth regulators in the root development in coffee seeds cv. Rubi (Coffea arabica L. Rubi) grown in vitro. Coffee seeds from adult plants were established on medium MS/2 + sucrose (20 g L-1) + agar (6 g L-1). Four treatments were tested: T1 - control; T2 -BAP (6 mg L-1) + NAA (0,1 mg L-1); T3 -BAP (6 mg L-1); T4 - GA3 (5 mg L-1). The highest rooting response was observed on the control (MS/2 + agar + sucrose). This suggest that rooting can be achieved without the use of plant growth regulators.Avaliou-se o efeito de reguladores de crescimento na germinação e enraizamento in vitro de sementes de cafeeiro Rubi (Coffea arabica L. Rubi ). Sementes de plantas adultas de cafeeiro foram inoculadas em meio MS/2 + 20 g L-1 de sacarose e 6 g L-1 de ágar. Foram testados quatro tratamentos: T1 - controle; T2 - 6 mg L-1 de BAP + 0,1 mg L-1 de ANA; T3- 6 mg L-1 de BAP; T4 - 5 mg L-1 de GA3. O melhor tratamento obtido para enraizamento de sementes de cafeeiro foi o controle (MS/2 + ágar + sacarose), tornando-se desnecessária a adição de reguladores de crescimento

Double blind randomized clinical trial comparing minimally- invasive envelope flap and conventional envelope flap on impacted lower third molar surgery

The latest trend in surgery is to look for minimally invasive procedures, with fewer complications and a shorter recovery time. This study aims to compare the minimally- invasive envelope flap, with smaller incision and fewer dissection and the conventional envelope flap, with a 20mm incision, on impacted mandibular third molar surgery, focusing on the hypothesis that there were no differences in postoperative outcomes. A double-blind randomized clinical trial was designed to compare both incisions, focused on determining the approach with minor postoperative side-effects and minor impact on quality-of-life. A total of 60 patients were enrolled for the study if their presented impacted mandibular third molar and was 18-years-old or more. Both groups were evaluated from time elapsed on the surgery, maximum mouth opening, swelling and quality of life assessment. The flap choice influenced facial swelling (p=0,03), pain on the first three days (p=0,037), interference with oral hygiene (p=0,019) and discomfort on speech (p=0,07). Chewing, swallowing, trismus, pain after seven days, postoperative complications and other quality-of-life arrangements were no different between groups. The minimally- invasive envelope flap could lead to a less painful experience for the patient, with fewer impact on the oral hygiene and speech discomfort

3D microsimulation of milkruns and pickers in warehouses using SIMIO

To help the Bosch Car Multimedia Portugal in Ferreiros, Braga to reduce its costs (both in time and space) with its warehouse, a micro simulation model is being developed in Simio. Particularly, the tool needs to be able to model pickers riding milkruns to collect containers of products, from a warehouse, to satisfy the needs of the production lines. In this sense, the storage strategy used on the warehouse, the quantity of requests a picker gets per shift, the time between shifts, the number of types of products, the arrival rate of requests, and the number of milkruns and pickers needs to be adjustable. Additionally, to design the corridors of the warehouse in a configurable way, an Add-in in C#, using the API of Simio, is being developed. Thus, this paper intends to document the first part of the simulation model developed, which consists on the pickers receiving requests and riding their milkruns to collect the respective containers from the warehouse. Five different Simio models compose the main simulation model. Conclusions and future work are discussed.This work has been co-supported by SI I&DT project in joint-promotion nº 36265/2013 (HMIEXCEL - 2013-2015 Project) and by FCT – Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia in the scope of the project: PEst-OE/EEI/UI0319/2014