Submitted by Kelson Anthony de Menezes (kelson@ucb.br) on 2016-12-19T17:56:31Z No. of bitstreams: 1 SuzanaMeiraRibeiroTese2014.pdf: 4980549 bytes, checksum: df9c1eaadc1ba65bf7c17235d91dc3d7 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2016-12-19T17:56:31Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 SuzanaMeiraRibeiroTese2014.pdf: 4980549 bytes, checksum: df9c1eaadc1ba65bf7c17235d91dc3d7 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2014-05-19 / Multi-drug resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae that produce the enzyme K. pneumoniae carbapenemase (KPC) are becoming a common cause of infections in health care centers. Furthermore, Klebsiella can develop multicellular biofilms, which lead to elevated adaptive antibiotic resistance. Here, it was described the antimicrobial and anti-biofilm activities of synthetic cationic peptides against K. pneumoniae strains susceptible and carbapenens resistant through in vitro and in vivo assays. By using static microplate assays, it was observed that the concentration of the peptides IDR-1018, DJK-5 and DJK-6 required to prevent biofilm formation by these clinical isolates was below the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of these peptides. Flow cell experiments confirmed the anti-biofilm activity of the peptides against 2 day-old biofilms of different KPC producing isolates and, in some cases, the peptides induced biofilm cell death. Combinations of DJK-6 together with ??-lactam antibiotics, including the carbapenem meropenem, also prevented planktonic growth and biofilm formation of KPC producing strain 1825971. Interestingly, the peptide DJK-6 was able to enhance, by at least 16-fold, the ability of meropenem to eradicate pre-formed biofilms formed by this strain. Although, this combination between meropenem, DJK-6 was effective in vitro, any reduction of bacterial load was observed in murine lung model of infection. Similarly, the peptides HHC-10, IDR-1018 e IDR-1002 was effective in vitro, but ineffective in vivo. The results in vivo, using the peptides HHC-10 and IDR-1018 after infection were contrasting (significant reduction or non-reduction of bacterial load) between two models of lung infection. Others approaches using the peptides IDR-1018 prophylactically or the peptide IDR-1002 (effective in inhibit bacterial growth) before the induction of the infection, as a preventive approach or IDR-1002 (peptide that reduced the bacterial counts in vitro) after infection, also was unable to reduce the bacterial load in lungs of mice. Despite ineffective in acute model of lung infection, the use of cationic peptides, such DJK-6, to potentiate the activity of ??-lactams including meropenem, represents a promising strategy to prevent biofilm formation or eliminate existent biofilms both in medical devices and in body surfaces. / Klebsiella pneumoniae resistente a m??ltiplos antibi??ticos, que produzem a enzima K. pneumoniae carbapenemase (KPC), est??o se tornando uma causa comum de infec????es em centros de cuidado a sa??de. Al??m disso, K. pneumoniae pode desenvolver biofilmes multicelulares, que levam o aumento da resist??ncia adaptativa a antibi??ticos. Aqui foi descrito a atividade antimicrobiana e antibiofilme de pept??deos cati??nicos sint??ticos contra isolados de K. pneumoniae suscept??vel e resistente a carbapenens em ensaios in vitro e in vivo. Usando ensaios de microplaca est??tico, foi observado que a concentra????o dos pept??deos IDR-1018, DJK-5 e DJK-6, requerida para prevenir a forma????o de biofilmes de isolados resistentes foi abaixo da concentra????o inibit??ria m??nima (CIM) desses pept??deos. Experimentos de fluxo de c??lula confirmaram a atividade antibiofilme dos pept??deos contra biofilmes pr??-formados de diferentes isolados de K. pneumoniae produtores de KPC e, em alguns casos, os pept??deos induziram morte celular. Combina????es de DJK-6 e antibi??ticos ??-lact??micos, incluindo o carbapenem meropenem, tamb??m preveniram o crescimento planct??nico e a forma????o de biofilmes do isolado produtor de KPC 1825971. Interessantemente, o pept??deo DJK-6 foi capaz de aumentar, em pelo menos 16 vezes, a habilidade de meropenem erradicar biofilmes pr??-formados desse isolado. Embora, essa combina????o tenha sido efetiva in vitro, nenhuma redu????o da carga bacteriana foi observada em modelo murino de infec????o pulmonar por K. pneumoniae. Os resultados dos pept??deos HHC-10 e IDR-1018 (os quais inibiram o crescimento bacteriano in vitro a concentra????o que apresentou baixa citotoxicidade) foram contrastantes entre os dois modelos de infec????o pulmonar (significando redu????o ou n??o redu????o da carga bacteriana). Outras abordagens utilizando os pept??deos IDR-1018 profilaticamente ou o pept??deo IDR-1002 (efetivo em inibir o crescimento bacteriano in vitro) ap??s a infec????o, tamb??m foram incapazes de reduzir a carga bacteriana em pulm??es de camundongos. Apesar da inefetividade em modelo agudo de infec????o pulmonar, o uso de pept??deos cati??nicos, tal como DJK-6, para potencializar a atividade de ??-lact??micos, incluindo meropenem, representa uma estrat??gia promissora para prevenir a forma????o de biofilmes ou eliminar biofilmes existentes tanto em equipamentos m??dicos quanto em superf??cies do corpo.

Background There is a widespread perception that the health status of rural Australians is poorer than that of urban Australians, characterised by higher mortality, lower life expectancies, and an increased incidence of some diseases. At present this perception is difficult to confirm or refute, in terms of mental illness, because of limited published data on the extent of mental illness in regional Australia. Australians from rural areas are also reported to have less access to appropriate health care compared to their urban counterparts; however, there is limited evidence to support such claims using large population-based epidemiological data. It is not known whether remoteness per se is an important determinant of health. Aim To determine if rural and remote South Australians were disadvantaged in terms of their mental health status and access to health care. The aims were to: 1) determine if prevalence of mental illness and comorbidity were associated with accessibility and remoteness; 2) examine the effects of accessibility and remoteness on health service utilisation; and 3) determine if remoteness per se was an important determinant of mental illness. Methods Prospectively designed, secondary analysis of data from a large cross sectional, population–based health survey, conducted in South Australia (SA) in 2000. In all, 2,454 adults, aged 18 years or more, were randomly selected and interviewed using the Computer Assisted Telephone Interview (CATI) system. CATI is a telephone monitoring system that is an efficient means of assessing self-reported aspects of population health, particularly in rural and remote areas. Psychological distress and depression were assessed using the Kessler 10 (K10) Psychological Distress Scale, the SF-12 measure of health status and self-reported, medically-confirmed mental illness, in the previous 12 months. Additional outcome measures included socio-demographic characteristics, a range of health services measures, psychosocial and health risk factors. Geographical variation in outcome measures was assessed using the Accessibility and Remoteness Index of Australia (ARIA). The data were analysed using SPPS and Stata statistical programs and weighted by region, age, sex and probability of selection in the household, using the 1999 total estimated resident population (ERP) figures supplied by the Australian Bureau of Statistics. Direct age-sex standardisation was applied to prevalence rates of mental illness, socio-demographic and health service utilisation data. Results Overall age-sex adjusted mental illness prevalence estimates were similar using the three measures of psychological distress (10.5%), depression (12.9%) and self-reported medically-confirmed mental illness (12.9%). For each measure, there was no significant variation in prevalence across ARIA categories, except for a lower than expected prevalence of depression (7.7%) in the accessible category. There was also no significant difference in the median number of uses of four types of health services across ARIA categories. Significantly fewer residents of highly accessible areas reported never using primary health care services (14.4% vs. 22.2% in very remote areas), and significantly more reported high use (6 visits, 29.3% vs. 21.5%). Fewer residents of remote areas reported never attending hospital (65.6% vs. 73.8% in highly accessible areas). Frequency of use of mental health services was low and not significantly different across ARIA categories. Very remote residents were more likely to spend at least one night in a public hospital (15.8%) than were residents of other areas (eg 5.9% for highly accessible areas). After controlling for the joint effects of stressful life events, perceived control of life events, socio-demographic characteristics and health risk factors, odds of mental illness did not vary by ARIA category (highly accessible: reference category; accessible: OR 0.9, 95% CI 0.60-1.31; moderately accessible: OR 0.80, 95% CI 0.45-1.43; remote/ very remote: 0.70, 95% CI 0.44-1.03). The most important predictors of mental illness in the multivariate logistic model were female sex; smoking; low consumption of vegetables; low exercise; a physical condition; perceived lack of control with: life in general, personal life, job security or health; and major stressful events such as family or domestic violence and the death of someone close. Conclusions Prevalence rates of psychological distress, depression and medically-confirmed mental illness in SA were high. However, there was no evidence that the prevalence of these conditions varied substantially across ARIA categories. The frequency of use of a range of health services was also broadly similar across the state. Remoteness per se was not associated with mental illness, either directly or indirectly as an important confounder in stressful life event/mental illness associations. Psychosocial factors were more important determinants of mental illness. The data do not support existing stereotypes of a rural – urban mental health differential in SA and point to potential mechanisms that may be responsible for poorer mental health outcomes.

Made available in DSpace on 2015-03-03T14:02:15Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 TerezaNSB_TESE.pdf: 1549121 bytes, checksum: b4b539cbd0ea200212814064938aaefb (MD5) Previous issue date: 2011-11-28 / Universidade Estadual do Rio Grande do Norte / O objetivo desse trabalho foi investigar o eosin?filo e a prote?na cati?nica eosinof?lica (ECP) na urina de pacientes com L?pus Eritematoso Sist?mico (LES), com e sem nefrite l?pica, como poss?veis marcadores de inflama??o renal. Foram estudados 74 pacientes com LES 20 com evid?ncia cl?nica e laboratorial de nefrite l?pica (LN grupo) e 54 sem envolvimento renal (n?o-LN grupo) quanto ? eosinofil?ria e ECP urin?ria (uECP). A eosinofil?ria foi observada atrav?s da colora??o de Hansel e as concentra??es de ECP urin?ria foram obtidas por fluoroenzimaimunoensaio e em seguida corrigidas pela creatinina urin?ria (uECP/uCr). As vari?veis do estudo foram comparadas com a hemat?ria glomerular, rela??o prote?na/creatinina urin?ria (uPr/uCr), creatinina s?rica, clearance de creatinina estimado, anti-dsDNA, n?veis s?ricos dos complementos C3 e C4, rela??o IL-5 urin?ria/creatinina e com o ?ndice de atividade da doen?a LES (Mex-SLEDAI). A avalia??o preditiva da eosinofil?ria e uECP foi observada atrav?s da curva ROC e o n?vel de signific?ncia do estudo foi p valor<0,05. Os resultados mostraram que a eosinofil?ria e as concentra??es da uECP e uECP/uCr foram mais elevadas nos pacientes do LN grupo em rela??o ao n?o-LN grupo (p<0,001 para todos). Essas vari?veis mostraram uma correla??o estatisticamente significativa com a hemat?ria, dismorfismo eritrocit?rio glomerular, cilindr?ria, rela??o uPr/uCr, creatinina s?rica, clearance de creatinina estimado, anti-dsDNA, rela??o IL-5 urin?ria/creatinina e com o Mex-SLEDAI (p<0,05). Os resultados da curva ROC mostraram uma melhor performance (?rea sob a curva-AUC) para a uECP/uCr, usando como vari?vel de classifica??o a uPr/uCr (AUC=0,94) e o clearance de creatinina estimado (AUC=0,84), p<0,0001. Conclui-se que dentre as vari?veis do estudo, a uECP/uCr pode servir como um novo marcador de inflama??o renal em pacientes com LES

Submitted by Automa??o e Estat?stica (sst@bczm.ufrn.br) on 2016-03-09T23:10:26Z No. of bitstreams: 1 JoaoLeonardoFreitasOliveira_DISSERT.pdf: 3296758 bytes, checksum: 105b144fc3affbe55e42b5df17981966 (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Arlan Eloi Leite Silva (eloihistoriador@yahoo.com.br) on 2016-03-11T19:57:37Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 JoaoLeonardoFreitasOliveira_DISSERT.pdf: 3296758 bytes, checksum: 105b144fc3affbe55e42b5df17981966 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2016-03-11T19:57:37Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 JoaoLeonardoFreitasOliveira_DISSERT.pdf: 3296758 bytes, checksum: 105b144fc3affbe55e42b5df17981966 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2015-01-26 / Coordena??o de Aperfei?oamento de Pessoal de N?vel Superior - CAPES / As argilas s?o materiais com propriedades particulares que as tornam promissoras para diversos estudos. Neste trabalho foi utilizada a argila vermiculita como suporte para compostos de ferro, com intuito de obter materiais promissores para aplica??es no processo do tipo foto-Fenton heterog?neo. Ao todo, o estudo contou com seis s?lidos, partindo da vermiculita (V0) obteve-se a vermiculita calcinada (V0-C), o material misto (V0/?-FeOOH) formado por vermiculita mais akaganeita, vermiculita trocada (V0t-C), vermiculita impregnada por via ?mida (V0u-C) e a V0u-CL que representa o s?lido obtido por impregna??o com uma posterior lavagem. Os s?lidos do estudo tiveram suas caracter?sticas f?sico-qu?micas investigadas pelas seguintes t?cnicas de caracteriza??o: Difratometria de Raios-X (DRX), Espectroscopia de Infravermelho (IV), Espectroscopia de Energia Dispersiva (EDS), Fluoresc?ncia de Raios-X (FRX), UV-Vis por Reflect?ncia Difusa (UV-Vis RD), An?lise Termogravim?trica (TGA) e Microscopia Eletr?nica de Varredura (MEV). O material V0 apresentou tr?s fases distintas, sendo estas, a pr?pria vermiculita, hidrobiotita e biotita, as duas ?ltimas fases fazem parte do processo geol?gico de forma??o da vermiculita. Os s?lidos obtidos ap?s as modifica??es apresentaram aumento na quantidade de ferro presente na argila, sendo estas quantidades, importantes para aplica??o em rea??es do tipo foto-Fenton. As micrografias e os dados de EDS, demonstram que ap?s os tratamentos de adi??o do metal, o ferro foi intercalado na estrutura da vermiculita para os s?lidos V0t-C e V0u-C, no entanto, o mesmo n?o ocorreu com material misto. No processo foto-Fenton, observou-se uma remo??o m?xima de 88,8% da colora??o do corante azul de metileno para o catalisador V0/?-FeOOH, enquanto que para os outros s?lidos obteve-se valores entre 76,8 e 62,6%, contra apenas 37,8% de descolora??o sem presen?a de catalisador. Portanto, conclui-se que a argila vermiculita apresenta-se como um bom catalisador e suporte para o ferro, al?m de apresentar um baixo custo devido sua elevada abund?ncia. / Clays are materials with specific properties that make them promising for various studies. In this work we used the vermiculite clay as support for iron compounds, in order to obtain promising materials for application in the heterogeneous type photo-Fenton process. In all, the study included six solid, starting from the vermiculite (V0) was obtained calcined vermiculite (V0-C), the mixed material (V0/?-FeOOH) formed by vermiculite more akaganeite, exchanged vermiculite (v0t-C), vermiculite impregnated Wet (V0u-C) and V0u-CL that is the solid obtained by impregnating with a back washing. The solids of the study had their physical and chemical characteristics investigated by the following characterization techniques: X-Ray Diffraction (XRD), Infrared Spectroscopy (IR), Energy Dispersive Spectroscopy (EDS), X-Ray Fluorescence Spectroscopy (XRF), UV-Vis by Diffuse Reflectance (DR UV-Vis), Thermogravimetric Analysis (TGA) and Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM). The V0 material showed three distinct phases, which are the very vermiculite, hidrobiotite and biotite, the last two phases are part of the geological of formation process vermiculite. The solids obtained after the modification showed an increase in the amount of iron present in the clay, these being quantities important for application in photocatalysis. The micrographs and EDS data, show that after treatment of addition of the metal , the iron was intercalary in structure of vermiculite for solid V0t-C and V0u-C, however, this did not occur with mixed material. In the photoFenton process, was observed a maximum removal of 88.8% of the dye methylene blue coloring for the catalyst V0/?-FeOOH, while for the other solids was obtained values between 76.8 and 62.6%, compared to 37.8% of discoloration without the presence of catalyst. Therefore, it is concluded that the vermiculite clay presents as a good catalyst and iron support for the, beyond of presenting a low cost because of its high abundance.

Submitted by Automa??o e Estat?stica (sst@bczm.ufrn.br) on 2017-03-28T19:23:20Z No. of bitstreams: 1 JessicaEmanuelaDeAraujoFernandes_TESE.pdf: 2514876 bytes, checksum: 124c4f78a98f40c9e466558c72113259 (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Arlan Eloi Leite Silva (eloihistoriador@yahoo.com.br) on 2017-03-29T00:13:38Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 JessicaEmanuelaDeAraujoFernandes_TESE.pdf: 2514876 bytes, checksum: 124c4f78a98f40c9e466558c72113259 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2017-03-29T00:13:38Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 JessicaEmanuelaDeAraujoFernandes_TESE.pdf: 2514876 bytes, checksum: 124c4f78a98f40c9e466558c72113259 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2016-04-25 / Coordena??o de Aperfei?oamento de Pessoal de N?vel Superior (CAPES) / Neste trabalho foram sintetizados dois tensoativos cati?nicos cloreto de dodecilam?nio (DAC) e cloreto de N,N-dietildodecilam?nio (NNDAC) para investigar sua capacidade de alterar a molhabilidade de rochas carbon?ticas atrav?s do tratamento com sistemas micelares ou microemulsionados. A caracteriza??o destes compostos foi feita atrav?s de espectroscopia de infravermelho, ponto de fus?o e valores de concentra??o micelar cr?tica (c.m.c.). Os sistemas microemulsionados foram escolhidos de maneira a contemplar pontos ricos em mat?ria ativa, fase aquosa e fase oleosa e caracterizados por di?metro de got?cula, tens?o superficial, densidade e viscosidade. Os substratos calc?rio e carbonato de c?lcio utilizados foram caraterizados por espectroscopia de infravermelho por transformada de Fourier (FTIR), an?lise t?rmica (TG), difra??o de raios X (DRX) e fluoresc?ncia de raios X (FRX). Os sistemas microemulsionados preparados com DAC e caracterizados por micelas esf?ricas apresentaram menores di?metros de got?cula se comparados com os mesmos sistemas para o NNDAC, com valores entre 100 e 225 nm para o primeiro tensoativo e na faixa de 500 a 980 nm para o segundo tensoativo. O efeito salino proporcionou a redu??o das intera??es eletrost?ticas entre as cabe?as das mol?culas de tensoativo, ocasionando o empacotamento micelar com menor concentra??o e reduzindo os di?metros das part?culas. Os resultados de viscosidade e de tens?o superficial confirmaram os dados de tamanho de part?cula, j? que os sistemas com menores concentra??es de tensoativo apresentaram valores de viscosidade na faixa de 3 ? 4,5 cP, enquanto os sistemas com maiores concentra??es de mat?ria ativa, ou seja, que sugerem agregados estruturais maiores ? lamelas ? exibiram resultados entre 6,5 e 7,8 cP. A caracteriza??o dos substratos inorg?nicos mostrou a ocorr?ncia da fase calcita e a aus?ncia de subst?ncias ou contaminantes que comprometessem a rocha calc?ria utilizada. Os ensaios de molhabilidade mostraram que todos os tratamentos inverteram a molhabilidade da rocha carbon?tica de molh?vel ao ?leo para molh?vel ? ?gua, mas os menores valores de ?ngulo de contato foram obtidos ao trat?-la com os sistemas microemulsionados formados com o NNDAC em meio salino. Os sistemas microemulsionados caracterizados pela ocorr?ncia de lamelas foram os mais eficientes na diminui??o dos valores de ?ngulo de contato. J? os sistemas com micelas diretas promoveram menor modifica??o de molhabilidade. / In this work two cationic surfactants were synthesized, dodecylaminium chloride (DAC) and N, N-diethyldodecylaminium (NNDAC) to investigate their ability to change the of carbonate rock wettability with treatment with microemulsion systems. The surfactant characterization was carried out through infrared spectroscopy technique, melting point and critical micelle concentration values (c.m.c.). Microemulsions with high composition of active matter, aqueous and oily phase and phase were characterized by droplet diameter, surface tension, density and viscosity. The limestone and calcium carbonate used were characterised by Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy, thermal analysis (TG), x-ray diffraction (XRD) and x-ray fluorescence (FRX). Microemulsion systems prepared with DAC and characterized as spherical micelles showed smaller droplet diameters compared with similar systems for the NNDAC, with values between 100 and 225 nm for the first surfactant and between 500 and 980 to the second. The salt effect caused the reduction of electrostatic interactions between the polar heads of surfactant molecules, causing the micelle packaging with lower concentration and reducing the diameters. Viscosity and surface tension results confirmed the particle size data. The systems with lower surfactant concentrations presented viscosity values in the range of 3-4.5 cP, while the systems with higher concentrations of active matter, i.e. that suggest larger structural aggregates - lamella - exhibited results between 6.5 and 7.8 cP. The characterization of inorganic substrates showed the occurrence of calcite phase and the absence of substances or contaminants that compromise the limestone used. The wettability tests showed that all treatments have reversed the carbonate rock wettability of oil wet to water wet, but the lower contact angle values were obtained through treatment with microemulsion systems formed with the NNDAC in saline media. Microemulsion systems characterized by the occurrence of lamella were the most effective to reduce the contact angle values while systems with direct micelle promoted smaller micelles wettability change.

The goal of this thesis is to evaluate travelers' experience with Highway Advisory Radio (HAR) and Citizens' Band Radio Advisory System (CBRAS) technologies on both Florida Interstate Highway system (FIH) and the Florida Turnpike Enterprise (FTE) toll roads. To achieve this goal, two different survey tools were used. The first tool is a random digit dialing phone survey known as CATI (Computer-Assisted Telephone Interviewing). The second tool is a field survey that intercepts travelers at the Florida Turnpike Enterprise (FTE) service plazas and the Florida Interstate Highway (FIH) rest areas. HAR and CBRAS are traditional components of the Advanced Traveler Information Systems (ATIS). This thesis pays special attention to the effectiveness of HAR and CBRAS in improving travelers' experience. Feedback to analyze these two technologies was collected via a telephonic survey and a field survey. Two different field surveys (one for HAR and one for CBRAS) were designed and implemented to obtain feedback on these technologies. The field survey for CBRAS is unique and has never been done before for this purpose. A sample size of 1000 HAR surveys was collected through the CATI phone survey. Field surveys were collected at five locations across the state, including central, southeast, and southwest regions of Florida. The HAR field survey sample size was 1610 and the CBRAS field survey sample size was 613. All field surveys were conducted by UCF students at each of the five locations, over a 13-week data collection period. The HAR messages were designed to alert drivers of any adverse roadway traffic or weather conditions. The CBRAS is limited to truck drivers with the closed system radio pre-installed in their vehicles. However, truck drivers were also asked some questions on HAR if they do not use CBRAS. Basic statistical analysis was used to determine a number of performance indicators which include system's use and awareness, usability of provided information, route diversion, and travelers' demographics. In addition, the two HAR phone and field samples were combined together and examined using a decision tree model. Target questions were selected from the survey to build the tree network. The tree model aimed at identifying trends between categorical differences of travelers with respect to specific questions. Understanding travelers' satisfaction with HAR is critical to knowing its benefits. The ending results indicated that both basic statistical analysis and the decision tree model are in agreement. A comparison between HAR phone and field surveys indicates the following. Travelers interviewed for the HAR field survey were more aware of the HAR than travelers surveyed by phone. A small portion of the surveyed samples used HAR (22% and this was consistent between the phone and the field surveys). Also, 80% or more were satisfied with HAR for both phone and field samples and the majority (85% or more) supported its continuation as an indication of willingness to use it in the future, especially in emergency conditions. In terms of the types of messages they want to hear from HAR, traffic congestion was the most common. Dynamic Message Signs (DMS) were the most preferred source of travel information and were the alternative for HAR, if HAR gets terminated. This was followed by smartphone applications which received twice as much support from field surveyed travelers (28%) when compared to phone surveyed travelers (15%). The CATI Phone Survey was biased towards elderly people (60% of the sample) and mainly females (58%) that use the FTE roadway system. Users satisfied with the system are those who only use these roadways once per week or less. The survey ultimately shows that travelers rely on modern modes of obtaining traffic information than traditional ones, such as HAR. DMS, and smart phone applications are leading communication tools among all type of travelers. The HAR field survey was less biased with respect to age and gender distribution (56% were under 50 and 62% were males). Both surveys indicate that the sample is well educated (about 60% have an associate degree or higher). CBRAS serves a small segment of commercial truck drivers (only 12% out of 613 used CBRAS). However, this small segment used it heavily (84% used it sometimes, often, or always). And 92% of CBRAS users were satisfied or strongly satisfied with it. CBRAS was used mostly for route divergence, with 72% of the drivers relying on it for this purpose. Truck drivers who never used CBRAS (88% of the sample) were asked questions about HAR. Only 27% of them used HAR and 57% of these used it sometimes, often, or always with 72% of the truck users being satisfied with HAR compared to the 92% satisfied with CBRAS. The most common complaint about HAR by truck drivers was that it is not easy to access or understand. Based on responses of truck drivers for both HAR and CBRAS field surveys above, it seems that GPS navigation was the most preferred source of travel information (28%). In addition to the basic statistics, a decision tree model, using SAS Enterprise Miner was performed. The statistical analysis results indicated satisfaction of travelers. The decision tree model was used to predict and profile responses to all answered questions that each survey shared. Training data was included in the model and the model was able to leverage the questions. Results of the decision tree model predicted high user satisfaction rates. Analyses of the three implemented surveys show that HAR and CBRAS technologies are not used by a large proportion of travelers, but their users are typically satisfied with these technologies. A small portion of the surveyed sample of truck drivers uses CBRAS but they use it heavily and were very satisfied with it. The travelers' satisfaction level with HAR was high. The HAR and CBRAS systems are in the middle of a heated competition lead by digital communication, it may be a sign of the time to create HAR/CBRAS smart phone applications for the longevity of these traditional technologies.

Made available in DSpace on 2016-06-02T20:39:50Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 PINHO_Alexandre_2014.pdf: 2888588 bytes, checksum: 81f43044cc8f66d67e07f7aa37692b0a (MD5) Previous issue date: 2014-08-20 / The contemporary extension comes across a rural area into new ruralities, including the inclusion of tourism, which can make allowance for the reorientation of its technical extension to new practices. The All-purpose Technical Assistance Coordination (from Portuguese, Coordenadoria de Assistência Técnica Integral CATI), an entity in which the act constituting the extension agents of this study, is the organ of the State Department of Agriculture and Food Supply responsible for actions of public extension with rural producers in the State of São Paulo. The absence of an institutional project focused on the rural tourism constituted motivation to gather aspects of care of the extension of CATI demand producers in this area as well as it realizes that there is a concern with a tour that is developed in a more sustainable way. In this sense, the goal of this dissertation was to survey elements on the perception of extension agents to justify the construction of an institutional program covering training activities and planning that will encourage them to expand their awareness and critical review of rural tourism phenomenon as a development vector. The research constituted of a recess, within the set of 645 municipalities of São Paulo, which considered those with rural tourism as prominent activity from two different criteria, resulting in a sample of 87 municipalities. To collect the data we used a questionnaire that sought, in the opinion of extension working with producers in the sampled counties, its profile and it characterizes its performance under rural tourism as well as to know their perception of the importance of the work of this extension segment and on sustainability elements related to tourism. From the collected data it was noted that, in general, the technical team acknowledges the role of the extension service in the context of rural tourism, as well as under the point of view of the development of economic activity, as the role of articulation and mediation that can be assumed by extension. However, this research pointed to some limitations that need to be overcome, namely: motivational issues, partly caused by the lack of incentives from the institution to standardize and to enhance the standard of care demands of tourism; the lack of specific technical knowledge on tourism; the need to increase their knowledge beyond environmental approach in the context of sustainable tourism development, with the expectation aid in understanding the strengths inherent to the phenomenon of tourism conflicts. Accordingly, an investment in differentiated capabilities would be essential in building a CATI statewide program, guided to the qualifying holding its extension agents in the context of rural tourism process. / A extensão rural contemporânea se depara com um meio rural transformado num espaço de novas ruralidades, entre elas a inserção do turismo, as quais podem se tornar subsídio para a reorientação de seus técnicos para novas práticas extensionistas. A Coordenadoria de Assistência Técnica Integral (CATI), entidade na qual atuam os extensionistas que constituem o foco deste estudo, constitui o órgão da Secretaria Estadual de Agricultura e Abastecimento responsável por ações de extensão rural pública junto aos produtores rurais no Estado de São Paulo. A inexistência de um projeto institucional voltado ao turismo rural constituiu motivação para conhecer aspectos do atendimento dos extensionistas da CATI à demanda dos produtores nesta área, bem como perceber se existe a preocupação com um turismo que seja desenvolvido de maneira mais sustentável. Neste sentido, o objetivo da dissertação foi o de levantar elementos sobre a percepção dos extensionistas cuja análise justifique a construção de um programa institucional contemplando ações de capacitação e de planejamento, o qual irá lhes favorecer a ampliação de sua percepção e opinião crítica sobre o fenômeno do turismo rural enquanto vetor de desenvolvimento. O universo da pesquisa constituiu num recorte, dentro do conjunto dos 645 municípios do Estado de São Paulo, que considerou aqueles que apresentaram o turismo rural como atividade de destaque a partir de dois critérios distintos, resultando numa amostra de 87 municípios. Para a coleta dos dados utilizou-se um questionário que buscou, na opinião dos extensionistas que atuam junto aos produtores nos municípios amostrados, caracterizar o seu perfil e a sua atuação no âmbito do turismo rural, bem como conhecer sua percepção sobre a importância do trabalho do extensionista neste segmento e sobre elementos de sustentabilidade relacionada ao turismo. A partir dos dados coletados percebeu-se que, de maneira geral, os técnicos reconhecem o papel do serviço de extensão no contexto do turismo rural, tanto sob o ponto de vista do desenvolvimento desta atividade econômica, quanto pelo papel de articulação e mediação que pode ser assumido pelo extensionista. Porém a pesquisa apontou para algumas limitações que necessitam ser superadas, destacando-se: questões motivacionais, em parte ocasionadas pela falta de incentivos da instituição para uniformizar e qualificar o padrão de atendimento às demandas de turismo; falta de conhecimentos técnicos específicos sobre turismo; necessidade de ampliação de conhecimentos para além de enfoque ambiental, no contexto do desenvolvimento sustentável do turismo, tendo como expectativa o auxílio na compreensão dos aspectos positivos e também dos conflitos inerentes ao fenômeno do turismo. Deste modo, um investimento em capacitações diferenciadas seria fundamental no processo de construção de um programa da CATI de abrangência estadual, orientado à participação qualificada de seus extensionistas no contexto do turismo rural.

The research described in this thesis reviewed previous uses of Interactive Voice Response (IVR), developed appropriate software, and employed IVR to obtain self-report of sensitive issues in surveys and conduct brief public health interventions. Chapter 1 introduces IVR and describes a systematic critical review of the use of IVR. IVR is a telephone interviewing technique where the human speaker is replaced by a high quality recorded interactive script to which the respondent provides answers by pressing the keys of a touch-telephone (touchphone). IVR has numerous advantages, including: economy, autonomy, confidentiality, access to certain population groups, improved data quality, standardised interviewing, multi-lingual interfaces, and detailed longitudinal assessments. Despite this, there have been few survey applications of IVR compared to alternative methods such as Computer-Assisted Telephone Interview (CATI). There has not been any evaluation of the use of IVR for asking sensitive questions in surveys or as a tool for health promotion at the community level. A literature review, described in Chapter 2, was conducted to identify other methods of asking sensitive questions. The literature review identified 19 different methods. Those methods that were most successful were those that provided the greatest degree of anonymity to the respondent. It was suggested that IVR may be a suitable method for community surveys. As described in Chapter 3, a custom software called Generalized Electronic Interviewing System (GEIS) was developed. This provided both CATI and IVR interviewing modes. As described in Chapter 4, it was found that the response rate obtained using IVR was unacceptably low, and an alternative interviewing method, the Hybrid method was developed. In the Hybrid method the interview was initiated by the interviewer but completed using IVR with GEIS. As described in Chapter 5, the IVR, CATI and Hybrid methods were used to investigate self-reported rates of alcohol and drug consumption within a telephone household survey of 2880 households. The self-report rates were compared to the National Drug Strategy Household Survey (NDSHS). Response rates did not differ significantly between the CATI and Hybrid methods, however the response rate for IVR was significantly less than the other methods. The Hybrid and IVR methods obtained significantly higher self-report consumption rates for alcohol and marijuana, and significantly higher hazardous drinking scores using Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT). In Chapter 6 a pilot of an IVR cervical screening brief advice interface is described. A total of 5000 households were contacted by the IVR system. The system randomly selected an eligible woman aged 18-69 per household and determined her cervical screening status. A total of 661 women listened to the IVR message. The IVR call was shown to be acceptable and inexpensive compared to a mail pamphlet intervention. In Chapter 7 a randomized controlled trial of an IVR cervical screening brief advice involving 17,008 households is described. Cervical screening rate data were obtained from the Health Insurance Commission (HIC) for a period spanning six months before and following the intervention. The cervical screening rate was increased in the intervention postcodes by 0.43% compared to the control postcodes, and the increase was greater for older women at 1.34%. This was a desirable outcome since this group is considered to be an at-risk group. The overall conclusion was that IVR technology could be feasibly used to contact women to deliver brief interventions aimed at increasing cervical screening rates, but the cost per screen was likely to be high. It is suggested that an IVR system could be linked to cervical screening registers to more directly and economically contact women, and provide an efficacious complementary approach to the existing letter reminder system. / PhD Doctorate

Made available in DSpace on 2014-12-17T14:05:18Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 LourenaMF_TESE_Capa_ate_pag79.pdf: 4572586 bytes, checksum: 2630047160ff526cc964f166fb86ab33 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2011-03-14 / Coordena??o de Aperfei?oamento de Pessoal de N?vel Superior / Gene therapy is one of the major challenges of the post-genomic research and it is based on the transfer of genetic material into a cell, tissue or organ in order to cure or improve the patient s clinical status. In general, gene therapy consists in the insertion of functional genes aiming substitute, complement or inhibit defective genes. The achievement of a foreigner DNA expression into a population of cells requires its transfer to the target. Therefore, a key issue is to create systems, vectors, able to transfer and protect the DNA until it reaches the target. The disadvantages related to the use of viral vectors have encouraged efforts to develop emulsions as non-viral vectors. In fact, they are easy to produce, present suitable stability and enable transfection. The aim of this work was to evaluate two different non-viral vectors, cationic liposomes and nanoemulsions, and the possibility of their use in gene therapy. For the two systems, cationic lipids and helper lipids were used. Nanoemulsions were prepared using sonication method and were composed of Captex? 355; Tween? 80; Spam? 80; cationic lipid, Stearylamine (SA) or 1,2-dioleoyl-3-trimethylammoniumpropane (DOTAP) and water (Milli-Q?). These systems were characterized by average droplet size, Polidispersion Index (PI) and Zeta Potential. The stability of the systems; as well as the DNA compaction capacity; their cytotoxicity and the cytotoxicity of the isolated components; and their transfection capacity; were also evaluated. Liposomes were made by hydration film method and were composed of DOTAP; 1,2-dioleoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphoethanolamine (DOPE), containing or not Rhodaminephosphatidylethanolamine (PE- Rhodamine) and the conjugate Hyaluronic Acid DOPE (HA-DOPE). These systems were also characterized as nanoemulsions. Stability of the systems and the influence of time, size of plasmid and presence or absence of endotoxin in the formation of lipoplexes were also analyzed. Besides, the ophthalmic biodistribution of PE-Rhodamine containing liposomes was studied after intravitreal injection. The obtained results show that these systems are promising non-viral vector for further utilization in gene therapy and that this field seems to be very important in the clinical practice in this century. However, from the possibility to the practice, there is still a long way / A terapia g?nica ? um dos maiores desafios propostos pela pesquisa p?s-gen?mica e se baseia na transfer?ncia de material gen?tico a uma c?lula, tecido ou ?rg?o com o intuito de curar ou melhorar o estado cl?nico do paciente. Em sua forma mais simples, a terapia g?nica consiste na inser??o de genes funcionais em c?lulas com genes defeituosos objetivando substituir, complementar ou inibir esses genes causadores de doen?as. Para que o DNA ex?geno seja expresso em uma popula??o celular faz-se necess?ria a sua transfer?ncia at? o local de a??o. Assim, ? necess?rio criar ve?culos, que transportem e protejam o DNA at? que este chegue a uma popula??o celular alvo. Os obst?culos encontrados com a utiliza??o de vetores virais t?m proporcionado o interesse no desenvolvimento de vetores n?o-virais, por serem f?ceis de produzir, apresentarem estabilidade control?vel e facilitarem a transfec??o g?nica. O objetivo deste trabalho foi avaliar dois diferentes vetores n?o virais, lipossomas e nanoemuls?es cati?nicos, e sua poss?vel utiliza??o na terapia g?nica. Para isso, foram utilizados lip?deos cati?nicos e co-tensoativos na produ??o dos dois sistemas. As nanoemuls?es foram produzidas pelo m?todo de sonica??o e compostas por Captex? 355; Tween? 80; Spam? 80; lip?deo cati?nico, Estearilamina (EA) ou N-[1-(2,3-Dioleoiloxi)propil]-N,N,Ntrimetilamonio metilsulfato (DOTAP); e ?gua ultra-pura (Milli-Q?). Estes sistemas foram caracterizados quanto ao tamanho m?dio de got?cula, ?ndice de polidispers?o (PI) e potencial zeta. Avaliou-se ainda a estabilidade dos sistemas e suas capacidades de compacta??o do material gen?tico. Os lipossomas foram preparados a partir do m?todo de hidrata??o do filme e compostos por DOTAP, Dioleilfosfatidiletanolamina (DOPE), na presen?a ou aus?ncia de Rodaminafosfatidiletanolamina (PE-Rodamina) e do conjugado ?cido Hialur?nico DOPE (HA-DOPE). Estes sistemas foram caracterizados da mesma forma que as nanoemuls?es e tamb?m foram avaliados estabilidade, influ?ncia do tempo, tamanho de material gen?tico e presen?a ou aus?ncia de endotoxinas na forma??o dos lipoplexos. Os resultados obtidos permitem afirmar que os sistemas s?o promissores para posterior utiliza??o na terapia g?nica e que esta ?rea promete ser uma ?rea f?rtil de pesquisa cient?fica e cl?nica por muitos anos, e provavelmente se tornar? uma pr?tica cl?nica importante neste s?culo. No entanto, da possibilidade ? pr?tica existe um longo caminho a percorrer

Made available in DSpace on 2014-12-17T14:16:32Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 AndreLS_DISSERT.pdf: 5066827 bytes, checksum: 73399e5a8ccc704bf54eb5cf1faba287 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2013-03-19 / Coordena??o de Aperfei?oamento de Pessoal de N?vel Superior / Gene therapy is based on the transfer of exogenous genetic material into cells or tissues in order to correct, supplement or silencing a particular gene. To achieve this goal, efficient vehicles, viral or non-viral, should be developed. The aim of this work was to produce and evaluate a nanoemulsion system as a possible carrier for no-viral gene therapy able to load a plasmid model (pIRES2-EGFP). The nanoemulsion was produced by the sonication method, after been choose in a pseudo-ternary phase diagram build with 5 % of Captex 355?, 1.2 % of Tween 80?, 0.8 % of Span 80?, 0.16% of stearylamine and water (to 100 %). Measurements of droplet size, polydispersity index (PI), zeta potential, pH and conductivity, were performed to characterize the system. Results showed droplets smaller than 200 nm (PI < 0.2) and zeta potential > 30 mV. The formulation pH was near to 7.0 and conductivity was that expected to oil in water systems (70 to 90 &#956;S/s) A scale up study, the stability of the system and the best sterilization method were also evaluated. We found that the system may be scaled up considering the time of sonication according to the volume produced, filtration was the best sterilization process and nanoemulsions were stable by 180 days at 4 ?C. Once developed, the complexation efficiency of the plasmid (pDNA) by the system was tested by agarose gel electrophoresis retardation assay.. The complexation efficiency increases when stearylamine was incorporated into aqueous phase (from 46 to 115 ng/&#956;L); regarding a contact period (nanoemulsion / pDNA) of at least 2 hours in an ice bath, for complete lipoplex formation. The nanoemulsion showed low toxicity in MRC-5 cells at the usual transfection concentration, 81.49 % of survival was found. So, it can be concluded that a nanoemulsion in which a plasmid model was loaded was achieved. However, further studies concerning transfectation efficiency should be performed to confirm the system as non-viral gene carrier / A terapia g?nica consiste na transfer?ncia de material gen?tico ex?geno para c?lulas ou tecidos no intuito de corrigir, suplementar ou silenciar um determinado gene. Para que este objetivo seja alcan?ado, eficientes ve?culos carreadores devem ser desenvolvidos: virais ou n?o-virais. O objetivo deste trabalho foi produzir e avaliar um sistema nanoemulsionado como poss?vel ve?culo n?o-viral para terapia g?nica, capaz de veicular um modelo plasmidial (pIRES2-EGFP). A nanoemuls?o foi produzida pelo m?todo de sonica??o, ap?s ser escolhida em um digrama de fases pseudo-tern?rio. A formula??o ? constitu?da de 5 % de Captex 355?, 1,2 % de Tween 80?, 0,8 % de Span 80?, 0,16 % de estearilamina e ?gua (qsp 100 %). O sistema foi caracterizado quanto ao tamanho de got?cula, ?ndice de polidispers?o (PI), potencial zeta, pH e condutividade. Os resultados mostraram got?culas menores que 200 nm (PI < 0,2) e potencial zeta > 30 mV em uma formula??o de pH pr?ximo a 7,0 e condutividade compat?vel a formula??es de ?leo em ?gua (70 90 &#956;S/s). A possibilidade de escalonamento, a estabilidade do sistema e a melhor forma de esteriliza??o tamb?m foram avaliadas onde observou-se que o sistema pode ser escalonado adequando o volume produzido ao tempo de sonica??o e a forma mais eficiente de esteriliza??o foi a filtra??o em membrana. O sistema apresentou estabilidade maior que 180 dias quando armazenado a 4 ?C. Uma vez desenvolvido, o sistema foi testado quanto ? capacidade de compactar o modelo plasmidial (pDNA). Eletroforese em gel de agarose foi a metodologia empregada para este fim, onde verificou-se que o poder de compacta??o aumenta (de 46 para 115 ng/&#956;L) quando a estearilamina ? incorporada na fase aquosa, respeitando um per?odo de contato (nanoemuls?o/pDNA) de pelo menos 2 horas, em banho de gelo. A nanoemuls?o mostrou-se pouco t?xica nas concentra??es usuais para ensaios de transfec??o em c?lulas do tipo MRC-5, apresentando 81,49 % de viabilidade celular. Portanto, o processo de produ??o de um sistema que complexa eficientemente o modelo plasmidial foi obtido. Contudo, estudos de efici?ncia de transfec??o devem ser conduzidos para confirmar o sistema como um carreador n?o-viral de material gen?tico