Varved lake sediments were used to provide information on how a landscape is affected by disturbances of different scales, from global (i.e. climatic) to local (i.e. fires), as well as anthropogenic activities. Geochemical and pollen data, biogenic silica (bSi), lake-water total organic carbon (LWTOC) and chlorophyll a were used as proxies to infer past changes in lake-conditions. The goal was to evaluate the response to scale different disturbances and how it differs among sites. By comparing different lake records, it became possible to isolate the climatic signal from the effect of soil development and vegetation establishment, and differences emerging from different catchment characteristics. Climatic trends were reconstructed based on the pollen and geochemical data. The sediment records were then compared to identify the effect of each disturbance on individual lakes. One of the most prominent event observed was the immigration of spruce at about 3000 BP which considerably affected sedimentation trends. The presence of spruce within the catchment appears to promote the input of fine-grained material to the lakes. The timing and intensification of anthropogenic activities was established and it was possible to differentiate the effects of human disturbance from changes caused by natural processes such as climate or landscape vegetation cover changes. The results show that farming practices started earlier in more southern locations and that this timing is site-dependent. Two phases were identified, corresponding to the start of slash and burn farming and later to the expansion of agricultural practices, with a more profound transformation of the landscape.

Syftet med arbetet är att belysa problematiken med hur företag inom processindustrin med långa ledtider kan bli mer flexibla i sin försörjningskedja. Detta tillsammans med en bred produktportfölj som skapar en utmaning med hög mix av produkter med låga volymer. Studien avser att hitta lösningar för att planera och höja leveranssäkerheten i dessa typer av verksamheter. Utifrån detta formades följande forskningsfrågor: Hur kan leveranssäkerheten mot kunderna höjas? Hur kan organisationer med ett brett produktsortiment och låga volymer öka sin flexibilitet mot marknaden? Hur kan produktionen planeras så att ledtiderna reduceras men flexibiliteten ökar? Metod och forskningsansats: För att besvara frågeställningarna har en litteraturstudie genomförts på området utformning av flexibla försörjningskedjor och hög mix, låg volym (HMLV). En fallstudie har genomförts inom processindustrin som har en brett produktsortiment med låga volymer. Fallstudien har bestått av att granska verksamheten genom en nulägesanalys och se vilka faktorer som påverkar leveranssäkerheten. I studien har datainsamling genomförts där data ur affärssystemen har exporterats och analyseras genom kvantitativa metoder. Resultat: Studien har identifierat ett flertal osäkerheter som påverkar hur prognoser genereras och hur verksamheten planeras hos fallföretaget. Genom osäkerheter både från leverantören av råmaterial och när det kommer till kapacitet finns det många faktorer som påverkar leveranssäkerheten till kund. För att klara osäkerheter i försörjningskedjan bättre har fokus lagts på att skapa ett bättre flöde genom att hitta flaskhalsar och planera utifrån verkligheten. Studien tar upp fördelar och nackdelar med lager och hur ett företag som enbart använder sig av en leverantör kan förhålla sig till variationer i dels sin egen produktion men även hos sin leverantör.   Implikationer: Arbetet uppfyller syftet genom att besvara de frågeställningar som finns och belyser de utmaningarna som tillkommer vid hög mix och låga volymer. Genom att identifiera och lyfta upp flaskhalsarna går det att öka kapaciteten. I en verksamhet med HMLV kan paretoprincipen eller ABC-analys användas för att identifiera de stora produktgrupperna för att sedan implementera leanfilsofi på dessa produkter. För att öka leveranssäkerhet i en verksamhet med stora variationer behövs någon typ av lager i form av säkerhetslager eller supermarket.   Rekommendationer: För att uppnå en högre leveranssäkerhet behövs verktyg som är anpassade för den specifika verksamheten och som tar hänsyn till den komplexitet som råder.  Nyckelord: Försörjningskedja, agil försörjningskedja, kundorderstyrd, produktionsplanering, kapacitet, riskhantering, HMLV, säkerhetslager, supermarket, theory of constraints, flaskhalsar.

Made available in DSpace on 2016-04-04T18:27:17Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Fernanda Afonso.pdf: 180176 bytes, checksum: 6a44ffbe8a03a0e92d8796ca9099be39 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2006-02-07 / The obsessive-compulsive disorder is a chronicle disease present in 2% of general population. Its victims fells like they have been prisoners of behaviors and thoughts patterns usually exaggerated, repetitive and unpleasant. Stress is an adaptation organic response. The present study proposal is to describe the stress behavior classes in obsessive-compulsive patients. This study subjects were composed by ten adults (six women and four men), whose age were around 33 years old, previously considered an obsessive-compulsive patient by psychiatrics. The instruments used were the Informed Consent Form, The Stress Symptoms Inventory (ISSL), The Interview Script, and The Identification Form for the patients. The results has shown that 9 participants presented stress, 7 in resistance and 2 in exhaustion phases, what illustrates how damage the stress behavior classes is when associated to obsessive-compulsive behaviors. The categorization used has identified common responses in The Stress Symptoms Inventory (ISSL) and interview script. According to the interview, the context variable analysis was able to identify the principal contingencies related to the obsessive-compulsive disorder. Feelings and behaviors related to worries about the other s thoughts, rejection, and the non-understanding feelings were also noticed among the answers, as the low-control behaviors, what can be associated to the repetition, no time organization and tiredness behaviors. Self-esteem and self-confidence difficulties could be detached, and as a consequence, there were many reports of guilty, anxious and low-pleasure feelings. It is important to stick out these results reflects this group data analysis, and they shouldn t be generalized. New researches focused on the stress response classes and the obsessive-compulsive disorder are crucial to develop a better quality attendance to these patients / O Transtorno Obsessivo Compulsivo (TOC) ? um transtorno cr?nico, que acomete cerca de 2% da popula??o em geral, em que o indiv?duo sente-se aprisionado por um padr?o de pensamentos e comportamentos repetitivos, exagerados e desagrad?veis. O stress ? uma rea??o do organismo frente a uma situa??o que exija uma adapta??o. O presente trabalho objetiva descrever as classes de comportamentos de stress freq?entes em pacientes diagnosticados com TOC. Participaram deste estudo 10 adultos, diagnosticados por m?dicos psiquiatras, com TOC, destes seis eram mulheres e quatro homens. A m?dia de idade dos participantes foi de 33 anos. Foram utilizados os seguintes materiais: termo de consentimento livre e esclarecido; question?rio de identifica??o; Invent?rio de Sintomas de Stress para Adultos (ISSL) e o roteiro de entrevista. No que se refere a resultados, nove dos dez participantes apresentam stress, destes sete encontram-se na fase de resist?ncia e dois na fase de exaust?o. O presente resultado ilustra o preju?zo que as classes de comportamentos de stress, associadas aos comportamentos obsessivos compulsivos provocam na vida destes indiv?duos. Foi poss?vel identificar, por meio da categoriza??o utilizada, certa regularidade nas respostas dos participantes, tanto com rela??o ?s quest?es do Invent?rio de Sintomas de Stress, quanto ao roteiro de entrevista. Com base nos dados da entrevista, a an?lise das vari?veis de contexto permitiu a identifica??o das principais conting?ncias relacionadas ao TOC. Observaram-se sentimentos e comportamentos acerca da preocupa??o com o que o outro pensa, ao medo de desagradar e junto a isto sentimentos de incompreens?o. Tamb?m foi poss?vel notar comportamentos de baixo autocontrole, isto provavelmente em fun??o de comportamentos de repeti??o, dificuldade de organiza??o de tempo e do cansa?o. Destacam-se tamb?m comportamentos de baixa auto-estima e baixa autoconfian?a e em decorr?ncia destes, relatos indicativos de sentimentos de culpa, alta ansiedade e pouco prazer. ? importante ressaltar que esses resultados referem-se apenas ao estudo coletivo dos dados obtidos e portanto n?o devem ser generalizados. Novas pesquisas com a finalidade de compreender melhor as classes de respostas de stress e do Transtorno Obsessivo Compulsivo s?o necess?rias, a fim de se poder assegurar um atendimento de maior qualidade a esta popula??o

Radiofármacos são preparações farmacêuticas que possuem um radionuclídeo em sua composição. Cerca de 95% deles são utilizados com finalidade diagnóstica e em sua maioria são administrados por via parenteral, requerendo o uso de água purificada (AP) e para injeção (API) nos processos de produção, controle de qualidade e pesquisa de novos radiofármacos. A produção de radiofármacos no Brasil deve atender às Boas Práticas de Fabricação (BPF), RDC n. 17/2010 e RDC n. 63/2009 da ANVISA e requisitos de qualidade definidos pelas farmacopeias vigentes. Considerando que os volumes dos lotes de fabricação de radiofármacos são reduzidos, de algumas dezenas a centenas de mililitros, e a sua validade é de algumas horas a alguns dias, frequentemente tem sido utilizados sistemas purificadores de uso laboratorial para a produção de AP e API nas radiofarmácias. A determinação de carbono orgânico total (COT) é um dos requisitos a serem atendidos na avaliação da qualidade de AP e API e o seu limite é de 500 μg L-1. O objetivo deste estudo foi validar o método analítico de COT que combina reações de acidificação e de oxidação química do carbono para análise de carbono inorgânico (CI) e carbono total (CT), na análise de AP e API, avaliar o desempenho de sistemas de purificação de uso laboratorial para a produção de AP e API e comparar com a API adquirida de fornecedores externos. Utilizou-se um analisador de carbono modelo TOC-Vwp acoplado a um amostrador automático modelo ASI-V, ambos da marca Shimadzu® e controlados por software TOC Control-V e frascos de 40 mL lavados com HNO3 15%, com soluções de reagente oxidante (Na2S2O8 0,5 mol L-1) e acidificante (H3PO4 3,0 mol L-1), soluções de COT/CT (C8H5O4K) e CI (Na2CO3 e NaHCO3) nas concentrações 100-1000 μg L-1. Foram avaliados os parâmetros de validação de método: conformidade do sistema, robustez, repetibilidade, precisão intermediária, exatidão, linearidade e limites de detecção e quantificação. O desempenho de 5 sistemas de purificação foram avaliados, com amostragem de AP e API de 6 pontos (3 de AP e 3 de API) e foram analisados COT, condutividade, pH, contagem de aeróbios totais e endotoxina bacteriana (somente para API). As melhores condições de análise foram 2 mL de oxidante, 3% de acidificante, tempo de integração da curva de CT de 10 minutos e 3 minutos para CI. As curvas analíticas de CT e CI foram lineares nas faixas de concentrações analisadas, com a soma residual dos mínimos quadrados (r2) maior que 0,997. Os resultados de repetibilidade apresentaram valores entre 0,40 4,40%, a precisão intermediária por sua vez apresentou a seguinte variação, 0,65 a 4,63% e exatidão apresentou valores na faixa de 96,76-112,52%. Os limites de detecção (LD) e quantificação (LQ) foram 31,83 e 106,11 μg L-1 e 59,16 e 197,22 μg L-1, para CT e CI, respectivamente. A avaliação de desempenho dos purificadores indicam que um procedimento adequado de limpeza do reservatório de água é importante para manter a concentração de COT em cerca de 100 μg L-1. A análise de COT/CI pode ser utilizada como indicador da necessidade de manutenção do sistema purificador. Algumas API embaladas apresentaram COT acima de 500 μg L-1. O monitoramento de COT durante a avaliação de desempenho dos sistemas de uso laboratorial acoplados a reservatórios indicou que eles são equipamentos adequados para obtenção de AP e API em radiofarmácia. / Radiopharmaceuticals are pharmaceutical preparations that have one radionuclide in their composition. About 95% of them are used with diagnostic purposes and most of them are parenterally administered, requiring the use of purified water (PW) and water for injection (WFI) in the production process, quality control and research of new radiopharmaceuticals. The production of radiopharmaceuticals in Brazil must comply with Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP), RDC n. 17/2010 and RDC n. 63/2009 from ANVISA, and the requirements defined by current pharmacopoeias. Considering that the batch volumes of the radiopharmaceuticals are reduced, up to some milliliters, and the shelf lives are from hours to a few days, purification systems for laboratory use have often been used to produce PW and WFI in the radiopharmacies. The determination of Total Organic Carbon (TOC) is one of the requirements for the assessment of PW and WFI and its limit is 500 μg L-1. The aim of this study was to validate the analytical method for TOC analysis that combines acidification and chemical oxidation to quantify inorganic carbon (IC) and total carbon (TC) in the analysis of PW and WFI; to evaluate the performance of purification systems for laboratorial use to produce PW and WFI and to compare with WFI acquired from external suppliers. It was used a carbon analyzer model TOC-Vwp coupled to an autosampler model ASI-V, both from Shimadzu® controlled by TOC-V Control software and 40 mL vials washed with 15% HNO3, an oxidizing reagent (Na2S2O8 0.5 mol L-1), an acid reagent (H3PO4 3.0 mol L-1), TOC/TC (C8H5O4K) and IC (Na2CO3 and NaHCO3) solutions in the range of 0 - 1000 μg L-1. The evaluated validation parameters were system suitability, robustness, repeatability, intermediate precision, accuracy, linearity and detection and quantification limits. The performance of 5 purification systems were evaluated by sampling PW and WFI from 6 places (3 were PW and 3 WFI) and TOC, conductivity, pH, total aerobic count and bacterial endotoxin (API only) were analyzed. The best conditions of analysis were 2.0 mL oxidizing reagent, 3% acid reagent, 10 minutes integration curve time for TC and 3 minutes for IC. The TC and IC analytical curves were linear in the evaluated range, with residual sum of minimum squares (r2) greater than 0.997. The results of repeatability were from 0.40 to 4.40%, intermediate precision were from 0.65 to 4.63%, and accuracy were in the range of 96.76 to 112.52%. The detection limit (DL) and quantification limit (QL) were 31.83 and 106.11 μg L-1 and 59.16 and 197.22 μg L-1 for IC and TC, respectively. The evaluation of the performance of the water purification system indicated that an adequate procedure for cleaning of the storage tank is important to maintain TOC concentration about 100 μg L-1. TOC /IC analysis can be used as an indicator of the need for maintenance of the purification system. Some commercial packed WFI presented TOC above 500 μg L-1. The TOC monitoring during evaluation of the performance of purification systems for laboratory use coupled with storage tank indicated that they are suitable equipment for obtaining PW and WFI in radiopharmacies.

Made available in DSpace on 2016-04-28T20:39:29Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Maria Cristina Petroucic Rosenthal.pdf: 1443522 bytes, checksum: 1bf815f9d4e9217d93c0025cf1790465 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2007-05-16 / This research aimed to study cognitive-affective variables in patients diagnosed with severe and disabling obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and compare them with those in patients with mild OCD. The preliminary selection of sample patients was based on interviews, medical records and the YBOCS, AGF and ICG objective scales. These data allowed detection of two groups: severe (G1) and mild (G2). Focused on the socalled Critical Special Scores, the Rorschach method according to the Exner´s scoring system was the main instrument used to examine the cognitive-affective variables of the personality. Quantitative results showed significant differences regarding the response values WSum 6, DR2 and Level 2, suggesting the larger presence of those cognitive alterations in group G1. Further exploration of the variables evidenced elevated MOR score in G1. Next, an inter case analysis of both groups showed a large variability in the response values in G1. The most discrepant cases were further studied under the qualitative aspect, aimed at better understanding cognitive alterations as they appear in individuals with OCD in particular. That allowed verifying a lack of mental flexibility as the common thread among G1 cases that took different forms and intensities. In some cases obsessive-compulsive rituals were observed during association and inquire phases; on these moments, the patient completely lost the instructions and was driven away from them. Thematic repetition of the content of the responses or of part of them was observed in all the patients of the severe group. Besides, some of them showed potential repetitive responses through comments like in all of the plates I could see Finally, signs of rigidity and perfectionism were present in some cases, so that the response time increased highly. The analysis of the response process also allowed to note particularities in the dynamics of the patient-examiner relationship which deserved attention; very prolix, sometimes the patient himself was not able to define a response unit, so that the examiner had be careful to not interfere on the patients own process of response. The discussion approached the quantitative and qualitative results vis-à-vis the OCD s psychopathological aspects and their diversity. Finally, some limitations of the research are noted and suggestions for further research are made / Os objetivos desta pesquisa foram: estudar variáveis cognitivo-afetivas em pacientes com diagnóstico de transtorno obsessivo-compulsivo (TOC), em nível severo e incapacitante, e estudá-las comparativamente em pacientes com TOC leve. A seleção inicial da casuística foi baseada em entrevistas, prontuários médicos e escalas objetivas: YBOCS, AGF e ICG. A partir desses dados se compôs dois grupos de pacientes: graves (G1) e leves (G2). O método de Rorschach, avaliado de acordo com o Sistema Compreensivo de Exner, foi o principal instrumento para aferição das variáveis cognitivo-afetivas de personalidade, com foco nos denominados Códigos Críticos Especiais. Os resultados quantitativos mostraram diferenças significativas entre os grupos quanto aos índices: WSum 6, DR2 e Nível 2, sugerindo presença maior dessas alterações cognitivas no grupo G1. O estudo exploratório evidenciou um índice MOR mais elevado em pacientes do grupo G1. Uma análise da distribuição amostral dos valores referentes às variáveis foco demonstrou uma variabilidade ampla nos valores do grupo G1. Os casos mais discrepantes foram estudados do ponto de vista qualitativo, visando a melhor entendimento das alterações cognitivas tal e qual estas se expressam nos indivíduos com TOC. A análise do processo de elaboração das respostas mostrou, como ponto em comum em todos os pacientes do grupo grave, a presença de uma diminuição ou perda da capacidade de flexibilidade mental que assumiu formas e intensidades variadas. Observou-se a presença de rituais obsessivocompulsivos durante a fase de associação ou de inquérito, durante os quais o paciente se desviava completamente da instrução em curso; em todos os casos, verificava-se uma repetitividade temática de conteúdos de resposta ou de partes desta inter e intrapranchas; em diversos indivíduos, se evidenciava a presença de respostas repetitivas potenciais, que se traduziam por comentários do tipo em todas as pranchas eu veria.. ; finalmente, rigidez e perfeccionismo extremos prejudicavam ou lentificavam a elaboração do processo de resposta. Também na análise qualitativa mereceram atenção especial aspectos da dinâmica paciente-examinador. Bastante peculiar no caso desses indivíduos prolixos, muitas vezes com dificuldade de exprimir o limite entre uma unidade de resposta e outra, o examinador deve cuidar para não interferir no processo de resposta tal e qual a formulou o paciente. A discussão abordou os resultados quantitativos e qualitativos tendo em vista os aspectos psicopatológicos do TOC e sua diversidade clínicia. Finalmente, são apontados os limites do estudo e sugestões para pesquisas posteriores

Made available in DSpace on 2016-04-29T13:18:09Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Denis Roberto Zamignani.pdf: 853771 bytes, checksum: a8a503cf66344668adb2ed65874dcc76 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2001-11-30 / Fundação de Amparo a Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo / The psychiatry manuais, in the case of OCD, assign to a private event - obsession - the status of the initiating cause of the compulsive behavior, and the specialized literature suggests procedures that are based upon the topography of the responses involved in OCD. An approach based on behavior analysis, on the other hand, emphasizes the need for a functional analysis of the relationships between a client's responses and environmental consequences. These two distinct explanatory models may bring about difficulties for the behavior analyst dealing with psychiatric patients. This work aimed at characterizing the behavior analyst performance in a therapeutic setting with clients with or without a diagnosis of Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) Method: The verbal interactions of two therapists identified as behavior analysts - each one with one client with and one client without an OCD diagnosis - were compared. Four to tive sessions of each pair (therapist - client) were recorded. The therapist and clients' verbalizations were classified according to their relation to the client's complaint, and were categorized as: questions, descriptions, explanations, advices, feedback, inferences or other. Therapist's verbalizations that immediately followed client's verbalizations related or not to complaint were analyzed. Therapist' s verbalizations classified as explanations and advices were also analyzed in arder to verify their consistency with the radical behaviorist approach. Results: Results indicated differences between the two therapists: the first therapist had a high percentage of her verbalization categorized as feedback while the other therapist had a high percentage of verbalizations classified as giving advice and explaining. For both therapists, the majority of their explanations were classified as having emphasizing the response-consequence relationship, indicating a performance coherent with the analysis of the behavior. Finally, results indicated that the clients' problems did not seem lead to significant differences in terms of the therapists' verbal behavior / Os manuais de psiquiatria, no caso do Transtorno Obsessivo Compulsivo (TOC), atribuem a um evento privado - a obsessão - o status de causa iniciadora do comportamento compulsivo e a literatura especializada propõe para o tratamento do TOC procedimentos baseados na sua classificação topográfica. A análise do comportamento enfatiza a relação funcional estabelecida entre o responder e as consequências ambientais. Essa diferença entre os modelos explicativos pode levar a dificuldades na aplicação da análise do comportamento à terapêutica de casos psiquiátricos. A presente pesquisa teve como objetivo caracterizara atuação verbal de terapeutas Analistas do Comportamento no atendimento de clientes com diferentes tipos de queixa: Método: Foram comparados os desempenhos verbais de dois terapeutas Analistas do Comportamento, atendendo um cliente com e um sem o diagnóstico de TOC. Foram gravadas e transcritas de quatro a cinco sessões de atendimento com cada cliente. As verbalizações foram classificadas, segundo a presença ou ausência de verbalizações de queixa, em categorias de descrição, explicação, aconselhamento, feedback, inferêncla, perguntas e outras verbalizações. O percentual de ocorrência por sessão, as verbalizações do terapeuta subsequentes a verbalizações do cliente relacionadas ou não à queixa e as sequências de verbalizações nas quais o terapeuta descrevia relações causais/explicativas entre eventos e aconselhava o cliente foram analisados. Resultados: A análise dos dados indicou que um dos terapeutas conseqüenciava diferencialmente determinadas classes de verbalizações do cliente, teve percentual elevado de verbalizações de aprovação para ambos os clientese teve mais verbalizações de aconselhamento para o cliente "com TOC". Já o outro terapeuta, apresentou predominantemente verbalizações de aconselhamento e explicação com, ambos os clientes e com a cliente "com TOC" sua intervenção foi mais focada na queixa Ambos os terapeutas tenderam a dar explicações com ênfase em relações resposta-conseqüência, coerentemente com os pressupostos da análise do comportamento. Os tipos de aconselhamento foram diferentes para cada cliente atendido, indicando relação com o tipo de queixa apresentada

Radiofármacos são preparações farmacêuticas que possuem um radionuclídeo em sua composição. Cerca de 95% deles são utilizados com finalidade diagnóstica e em sua maioria são administrados por via parenteral, requerendo o uso de água purificada (AP) e para injeção (API) nos processos de produção, controle de qualidade e pesquisa de novos radiofármacos. A produção de radiofármacos no Brasil deve atender às Boas Práticas de Fabricação (BPF), RDC n. 17/2010 e RDC n. 63/2009 da ANVISA e requisitos de qualidade definidos pelas farmacopeias vigentes. Considerando que os volumes dos lotes de fabricação de radiofármacos são reduzidos, de algumas dezenas a centenas de mililitros, e a sua validade é de algumas horas a alguns dias, frequentemente tem sido utilizados sistemas purificadores de uso laboratorial para a produção de AP e API nas radiofarmácias. A determinação de carbono orgânico total (COT) é um dos requisitos a serem atendidos na avaliação da qualidade de AP e API e o seu limite é de 500 μg L-1. O objetivo deste estudo foi validar o método analítico de COT que combina reações de acidificação e de oxidação química do carbono para análise de carbono inorgânico (CI) e carbono total (CT), na análise de AP e API, avaliar o desempenho de sistemas de purificação de uso laboratorial para a produção de AP e API e comparar com a API adquirida de fornecedores externos. Utilizou-se um analisador de carbono modelo TOC-Vwp acoplado a um amostrador automático modelo ASI-V, ambos da marca Shimadzu® e controlados por software TOC Control-V e frascos de 40 mL lavados com HNO3 15%, com soluções de reagente oxidante (Na2S2O8 0,5 mol L-1) e acidificante (H3PO4 3,0 mol L-1), soluções de COT/CT (C8H5O4K) e CI (Na2CO3 e NaHCO3) nas concentrações 100-1000 μg L-1. Foram avaliados os parâmetros de validação de método: conformidade do sistema, robustez, repetibilidade, precisão intermediária, exatidão, linearidade e limites de detecção e quantificação. O desempenho de 5 sistemas de purificação foram avaliados, com amostragem de AP e API de 6 pontos (3 de AP e 3 de API) e foram analisados COT, condutividade, pH, contagem de aeróbios totais e endotoxina bacteriana (somente para API). As melhores condições de análise foram 2 mL de oxidante, 3% de acidificante, tempo de integração da curva de CT de 10 minutos e 3 minutos para CI. As curvas analíticas de CT e CI foram lineares nas faixas de concentrações analisadas, com a soma residual dos mínimos quadrados (r2) maior que 0,997. Os resultados de repetibilidade apresentaram valores entre 0,40 4,40%, a precisão intermediária por sua vez apresentou a seguinte variação, 0,65 a 4,63% e exatidão apresentou valores na faixa de 96,76-112,52%. Os limites de detecção (LD) e quantificação (LQ) foram 31,83 e 106,11 μg L-1 e 59,16 e 197,22 μg L-1, para CT e CI, respectivamente. A avaliação de desempenho dos purificadores indicam que um procedimento adequado de limpeza do reservatório de água é importante para manter a concentração de COT em cerca de 100 μg L-1. A análise de COT/CI pode ser utilizada como indicador da necessidade de manutenção do sistema purificador. Algumas API embaladas apresentaram COT acima de 500 μg L-1. O monitoramento de COT durante a avaliação de desempenho dos sistemas de uso laboratorial acoplados a reservatórios indicou que eles são equipamentos adequados para obtenção de AP e API em radiofarmácia. / Radiopharmaceuticals are pharmaceutical preparations that have one radionuclide in their composition. About 95% of them are used with diagnostic purposes and most of them are parenterally administered, requiring the use of purified water (PW) and water for injection (WFI) in the production process, quality control and research of new radiopharmaceuticals. The production of radiopharmaceuticals in Brazil must comply with Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP), RDC n. 17/2010 and RDC n. 63/2009 from ANVISA, and the requirements defined by current pharmacopoeias. Considering that the batch volumes of the radiopharmaceuticals are reduced, up to some milliliters, and the shelf lives are from hours to a few days, purification systems for laboratory use have often been used to produce PW and WFI in the radiopharmacies. The determination of Total Organic Carbon (TOC) is one of the requirements for the assessment of PW and WFI and its limit is 500 μg L-1. The aim of this study was to validate the analytical method for TOC analysis that combines acidification and chemical oxidation to quantify inorganic carbon (IC) and total carbon (TC) in the analysis of PW and WFI; to evaluate the performance of purification systems for laboratorial use to produce PW and WFI and to compare with WFI acquired from external suppliers. It was used a carbon analyzer model TOC-Vwp coupled to an autosampler model ASI-V, both from Shimadzu® controlled by TOC-V Control software and 40 mL vials washed with 15% HNO3, an oxidizing reagent (Na2S2O8 0.5 mol L-1), an acid reagent (H3PO4 3.0 mol L-1), TOC/TC (C8H5O4K) and IC (Na2CO3 and NaHCO3) solutions in the range of 0 - 1000 μg L-1. The evaluated validation parameters were system suitability, robustness, repeatability, intermediate precision, accuracy, linearity and detection and quantification limits. The performance of 5 purification systems were evaluated by sampling PW and WFI from 6 places (3 were PW and 3 WFI) and TOC, conductivity, pH, total aerobic count and bacterial endotoxin (API only) were analyzed. The best conditions of analysis were 2.0 mL oxidizing reagent, 3% acid reagent, 10 minutes integration curve time for TC and 3 minutes for IC. The TC and IC analytical curves were linear in the evaluated range, with residual sum of minimum squares (r2) greater than 0.997. The results of repeatability were from 0.40 to 4.40%, intermediate precision were from 0.65 to 4.63%, and accuracy were in the range of 96.76 to 112.52%. The detection limit (DL) and quantification limit (QL) were 31.83 and 106.11 μg L-1 and 59.16 and 197.22 μg L-1 for IC and TC, respectively. The evaluation of the performance of the water purification system indicated that an adequate procedure for cleaning of the storage tank is important to maintain TOC concentration about 100 μg L-1. TOC /IC analysis can be used as an indicator of the need for maintenance of the purification system. Some commercial packed WFI presented TOC above 500 μg L-1. The TOC monitoring during evaluation of the performance of purification systems for laboratory use coupled with storage tank indicated that they are suitable equipment for obtaining PW and WFI in radiopharmacies.

In recent years, there has been increasing concern with respect to the large dependence across the globe on nonrenewable energy sources, such as fossil fuels. Ethanol has been explored, however, in alleviating this problem; cellulose, a polymer of glucose molecules, is a precursor to this potentially useful biofuel. However, the strength and rigidity of the cellulose structure has proven to be a difficult obstacle to overcome in this multistep synthesis. Harsh conditions are required, often including concentrated sulfuric acid and extremely high temperatures, to complete hydrolysis to a useful extent. In this work, the hydrolysis of cellulose was performed with acidic hydrogen molybdenum bronze in the form of XPell™ R by Xplosafe in place of sulfuric acid. By analyzing total organic carbon present in hydrolyzed samples (after 2 hours) using persulfate oxidation and colorimetric measurements, results were obtained showing that hydrogen molybdenum bronze is successful in catalyzing the hydrolysis of cellulose in comparison to hydrolysis completed in water alone. The values that were obtained in this analysis are as follows: 160 ± 20 ppt/mol at 40 °C, 180 ± 20 ppt/mol at 60 °C, 180 ± 30 ppt/mol at 80 °C, and 280 ± 40 ppt/mol at 100 °C. This determination shows that the catalytic ability of this acid increases with increasing temperature. Hydrogen molybdenum bronze is a useful candidate to explore in biofuel synthesis from cellulose. Comparison to sulfuric acid will be completed in future tests. This method is currently being used to pursue conversion of hydrolyzed cellulose to ethanol using yeast.

Many financial leaders lack strategies to make the timely fiscal reporting needed for business to obtain profitability, competitive advantage, and sustainability. The purpose of this single case study was to explore successful strategies used to complete efficient closing cycles to evaluate performance and support business decisions. The conceptual framework for this study was process improvement and the theory of constraints. Data were collected from semistructured interviews with 5 purposively selected leaders; data were supplemented with information from the organization's website and print materials. Financial leaders who had developed successful strategies to complete timely financial statements were selected to participate in the study from a U.S. healthcare organization. Data were analyzed using Yin's 5-step approach, which included examining, categorizing, tabulating, creating a data display, and testing the data. Transcript review validated that emerging themes were in alignment with participant experiences. Four major themes emerged from data analysis: provide training and professional development, promote teamwork, engage in effective communication, and use information technology. Social change implications include potential process improvement in hospitals that could provide insight into specific system processes that contribute to the rising cost of global healthcare. Financial leaders achieving increased profitability through process improvement could enable administrators to make financial contributions to their communities, expand to new markets, and create new employment opportunities.

Nanofiltration (NF) membrane technology is effective for removal of natural organic matter (NOM) and Disinfection By-Product (DBP) precursors from treated surface water (Allgeier et al., 1995, Chellam et al., 2000, Smith et al., 2002). However, there is a need to control other micropollutants, such as compounds released from algal blooms. In this research, the feasibility of using NF for removal of cyanobacterial exudates was evaluated as a polishing process for conventionally treated surface water. Screening tests were conducted to compare the performance of four NF membranes, Filmtec's NF90 and NF270, and Hydranautics's LFC1 and NTR7450, for removal of NOM and cyanobacterial exudates. The source water for the experiments was derived from Lake Manatee (FL) following full scale treatment by enhanced coagulation and dual media filtration. Water samples were amended with low levels of three cyanobacterial exudates: microcystin-LR, geosmin and 2-Methylisoborneol (MIB). The rapid bench scale membrane test (RBSMT) protocol was used to test NF at four recoveries of 50%, 70%, 85% and 95%. Bulk organics (TOC and UV254) and inorganics (conductivity, total and calcium hardness) were monitored along with other operating parameters during the setting and recovery tests. Spike tests were performed by spiking microcystin-LR (9.5 to 12.0 micro g/L), geosmin (45 to 220 ng/L) and MIB (45 to 225 ng/L). Three NF membranes (NF90, NF270 and LFC1) were effective for over 90% rejection of TOC and associated disinfection by-product formation potential (DBPFP). Due to NF treatment, the bromide:TOC ratio increased resulting in a shift towards higher levels of brominated DBPFPs. Similarly, these three NF membranes (NF90, NF270 and LFC1) were effective for removal of microcystin-LR to below the World Health Organization (WHO) guideline of 1 micro g/L. Only two of the NF membranes tested (NF90 and LFC1), were capable of removing geosmin and MIB to levels below the taste and odor threshold. These membranes removed greater than 92% of the geosmin and MIB. Based on these bench scale tests, further testing of NF on a pilot scale is warranted.