The study investigated South African Grade 10 Physical science learners’ reasoning about basic chemical phenomena at sub-microscopic level. The study adopted a non-experimental, exploratory and descriptive method and was principally guided by the ex-post facto research design using a concurrent embedded strategy of mixed qualitative and qualitative approach. A total of 280 grade 10 physical science learners in their intact classes and six of their teachers participated in the study. The 280 physical science learners comprised of 100 students from two top performing schools, 100 learners from two middle performing schools and the last 80 learners were drawn from two poor performing schools in Gauteng Department of Education’s Tshwane North District. A two-tier multiple-choice paper and pencil Test of Basic Chemistry Knowledge (TBCK) based on the three levels of chemical representation of matter was administered to the 280 physical science learners in their Grade 11 first term to collect both quantitative and qualitative data. In addition to the TBCK, focus group discussions (FGDs) with learners, teacher interviews and document analysis were used to triangulate data. The results revealed that most Grade 10 learners find it easy to identify pure elements and the solid state but find it difficult to negotiate between the three levels (macroscopic, sub-microscopic and symbolic) of chemical representation of matter. It became clear that learners experienced more difficulties in the concepts of basic solutions, acidic solutions, concentration and ionic compounds in solution. It also became apparent that some learners could not tell differences between a diatomic element and a compound indicating conceptual problems when they reason at particle level, and as a result they could not identify a mixture of elements. The results also indicated that the concepts of pure compounds and mixtures of compounds were not easy to comprehend as most learners took a pure compound for a mixture of atoms and a mixture of compounds for a mixture of elements. It is therefore concluded that learners find it difficult negotiating the three levels of chemical representation of matter. However, it is not clear whether the misconceptions the learners showed could be completely attributable to the concepts involved or the nature of the sub-microscopic models that were used in the test as it was also revealed that most teachers were not using sub-microscopic representations during instruction to enable learners to think at particle level. Furthermore, justifications to the multiple-choice tasks revealed lack of understanding of basic chemical concepts as well as language problems amongst learners as they could not clearly express their reasoning. Based on the results, some recommendations to educators, chemistry curriculum planners, teacher education and the chemistry education research field are suggested. / Science and Technology Education / D. Phil. ((Philosophy in Mathematics, Science and Technology Education)

Thesis (M. Tech.) - Central University of Technology, Free State, 2006 / Electron microscopy plays an important role in diagnostic histopathology. When this investigation is anticipated, extra tissue is submitted directly for electron microscopy. However, often it is decided only later in a problematic case to perform this investigation and then the only tissue available is embedded in the routine laboratory’s paraffin block. This tissue has to be retrieved from the wax and this entails using a clearing agent before the rest of the electron microscopy method can be implemented. Traditionally xylene is the agent that is used but has the disadvantage of being extremely toxic. This study compared the morphological effects of a relatively new and non toxic clearing agent, Tissueclear®, with that of xylene. Exposure of tissue to clearing agents for 30 minutes and overnight was performed to assess whether Tissueclear® gave better results in the long term than xylene, in the hope that the laboratory turn around time could be improved and the amount of toxic reagents used in the EM laboratory will be reduced. A second part of the study involved a questionnaire submitted to laboratory staff to assess their knowledge of xylene toxicity. Of the 325 cases submitted for electron microscopy at Universitas Hospital between January 2004 and July 2005, 140 of these had to be retrieved from paraffin wax. Four specimens were prepared from each case. Two were processed in xylene for 30 minutes and overnight and two in Tissueclear® for 30 minutes and overnight. The specimens were evaluated for consistency and resin compaction as well as ultrastructural preservation of the cell membrane, cytoplasmic content and extracellular material. The results showed that Tissueclear® and xylene gave comparable results after 30 minutes and that Tissueclear® was superior after overnight processing. This meant that a specimen submitted for electron microscopy would be processed immediately without waiting for the following morning as was the case with xylene and that the processing time for such a specimen had been shortened from 3 to 2 days. It also meant that the laboratory staff was exposed to one less toxic reagent. The results on the questionnaire showed that there were large areas of ignorance regarding toxicity as well as appropriate safety procedures that need to be followed in the laboratory. It is hoped that this study will improve awareness in this regard and encourage the use of other newer less toxic reagents.

Microscopic colitis (MC) constitutes the main entities collagenous colitis (CC) and lymphocytic colitis (LC), diseases that are relatively recently described (in 1976 and 1989, respectively). The aims of this thesis were to study the epidemiology of MC, to describe how these diseases affect patients in terms of symptom burden and health-related quality of life (HRQoL), to study potential risk factors such as familial factors, childhood circumstances, educational level, marital status, smoking and comorbidity, and to describe a cohort of patients with ulcerative colitis (UC) or Crohn’s disease (CD) and subsequent MC, and vice versa. During 1999–2008 in Sweden, the mean annual incidence of MC was 10.2 per 105 inhabitants, compared with 5.2 per 105 inhabitants for CC, and 5.0 per 105 inhabitants for LC. The prevalence of MC on 31 December 2008 was 123 per 105 inhabitants. Women appeared to be especially affected – the female:male ratio was 3.6:1 in CC and 4.6:1 in LC. Patients’ HRQoL is impaired both in active CC and in LC. Patients with CC in clinical remission have persisting symptoms: abdominal pain, fatigue, arthralgia and myalgia; LC patients in remission have persistent fatigue compared with controls. This illustrates that the longterm outcome is different in CC compared with LC. Microscopic colitis is associated with a family history of MC, indicating that familial factors may play a role in the pathogenesis of this disease. We confirm earlier reports that smoking is a risk factor in MC. In the present study population, CC was associated with rheumatic disease and previous appendicectomy. Moreover, CC and LC were associated with thyroid disease and coeliac disease and, interestingly, with a history of UC. Most patients with UC or CD and subsequent MC, or vice versa, had UC or CD first and later developed MC. The majority had extensive UC and later onset of CC. Microscopic colitis should be considered in patients with UC or CD if there is onset of chronic watery diarrhoea without endoscopic relapse of mucosal inflammation.

Baseando-se na possibilidade de inserção de um novo material de origem têxtil natural animal, bem como, a reciclagem de aproximadamente 1,175 milhões de toneladas descartadas anualmente da matéria-prima estudada (UBABEF, 2011), esta pesquisa teve como objetivo geral efetuar a caracterização física e microscópica de fibra de pena de frango para finalidade têxtil seja para o desenvolvimento de fios têxteis, não tecidos e reforço em compósitos ou outras aplicações. Deste modo, foram objetivos: i) realizar levantamento bibliográfico sobre estrutura e composição de penas e fibras de penas, reciclagem, aplicações existentes, técnicas e processos de caracterização da fibra; ii) coleta do material fibroso proveniente de um matadouro doméstico de frangos; iii) preparação do material, lavagem e secagem das penas; iv) testes mecânicos de caracterização como: alongamento, elasticidade e resistência realizados por meio do dinamômetro Instrom, determinação do teor de regain, umidade e densidade da fibra, bem como a taxa de encolhimento da fibra; v) testes microscópicos de caracterização como: microscopias longitudinais e transversais; vi) propostas e direcionamento do emprego das fibras caracterizadas para finalidade de produção têxtil. As principais conclusões foram: i) bibliografia inédita em português sobre penas de frango para a área têxtil; ii) estudo inédito no Brasil e na língua portuguesa de propriedades físicas e microscópicas de fibras de pena de frango; iii) com base em suas propriedades estruturais, perceberam-se características como brilho, conforto, maciez, toque, permeabilidade à líquido, leveza, entre outras propriedades, aumentando assim seu potencial de empregabilidade têxtil; iv) potencial de fiação e fabricação de têxteis para diversas aplicações. Publicações e palestras foram realizadas com os resultados desta dissertação. / Based on the possibility of developing a new textile material of natural animal origin, as well as the recycling of the studied raw material, of which approximately 1.175 million tons are annually discarded as waste in Brazil (UBABEF, 2011), this study aimed to characterize the general physical and microscopical fibers of chicken feathers for textile purpose for the development of textile yarn, non-woven and composite reinforcement. Its objectives were: i) to analyze the academic literature about the structure and composition of feathers and feather fibers, as well as its recycling, existing applications, processes and techniques of fiber characterization, ii) the collection of fibrous material from a chicken slaughterhouse, iii) the preparation of material, washing and drying the feathers, iv) to develop mechanical characterization tests such as elongation, elasticity and resistance made by Instrom dynamometer, determining the content, moisture regain and fiber density, v) to perform the microscopic characterization tests such as microscopy longitudinal and transverse, and vi ) to draft proposals on the employment of the analyzed and characterized fibers for purposes of producing textiles (yarns, reinforcement for composites, nonwoven blankets, etc.). The main findings were: i) unpublished literature in Portuguese about chicken feathers for the textile area, ii) unpublished study in Brazil and in portuguese language of physical and microscopic properties of chicken feathers\' fibers for the development of textile products of natural origin from such chicken feathers, iii) the identification of the potential for the production of blended yarn with cotton / wool, blankets and non-woven and reinforcement for composites, based on their physical, mechanical and microscopic properties, and, iv) the identification of the potential for yarn production (via spinning) and textile manufacturing for various applications. Publications and lectures were held with the results of this dissertation.

A ênfase do trabalho recai na análise da taxa temporal de produção de entropia em sistemas de rede determinados por suas propriedades de simetria, no intuito de constituí-la como uma ferramenta paradigmática no estudo de sistemas irreversíveis. Nesse sentido, uma vez que se consegue consolidar uma definição consistente dessa grandeza para este campo, propõe-se uma abordagem estocástica para o modelamento da dinâmica dos exemplares considerados. O grupo de simetria C_ descreve as propriedades de invariância em sistemas com ampla relevância em física, de maneira que resulta natural elaborar a construção dos modelos em torno a sua estrutura, mais ainda quando se pode assumir que as características de simetria, no relativo à determinação da classe de universalidade dos modelos, são condições mais relevantes que a presença do não-equilíbrio, em coerência com a conjetura de Grinstein. Aliás, o modelo de Potts de três estados também apresenta propriedades de simetria próprias daquele grupo, além de ser passível de certo rigor no seu tratamento matemático, de maneira que oferece resultados consideravelmente satisfatórios e propícios para, por comparação, analisar os sistemas que concernem neste estudo. Assim, o procedimento tem como fim a determinação numérica da produção de entropia em sistemas com dinâmica irreversível e invariantes ante as transformações de simetria que compõem o grupo C_3v, partindo para isso de simulações de Monte Carlo em modelos estruturados sobre redes quadradas. A determinação da produção de entropia segue a prescrição de Schnakenberg (Schnakenberg [1976]), fundamentada nas correntes de probabilidade que surgem no sistema como consequência da violação da reversibilidade microscópica; a qual, por sua vez, estabelece a necessidade para os sistemas em equilíbrio de que todas as sequências cíclicas possíveis entre estados consecutivos sejam percorridas com igualdade de probabilidade num sentido quanto no inverso. Como uma segunda instância deste trabalho, também foram estudadas as propriedades de escalabilidade apresentadas por estos modelos durante seus primeiros instantes de evolução, isso, a partir da determinação numérica dos exponentes dinâmicos e sua caracterização dentro do marco teórico conhecido como \"short time scaling\'\' (Jansen et al. (1989)). Nesse sentido foram consideradas algumas das prescrições concernentes que tem apresentado melhor desempenho nos últimos anos. O observado mostra um comportamento coerente com a satisfação do que implicaria a conjetura de Grinstein para estes sistemas irreversíveis, indicando sua pertença à classe de universalidade do modelo de Potts de três estados, e, com isso, reafirmando os resultados obtidos em relação à produção de entropia. / This work is proposed as a study of the entropy production rate in lattice systems determined by its symmetries, looking for its consolidation as a paradigmatic tool in the area of irreversible and nonequilibrium systems. Henceforth, given the actual possibility of defining this quantity on that field, a stochastic perspective is adopted for modeling the dynamics of the considered systems. The C_ symmetry group describes the invariance properties of a wide range of physical systems, hence it results sensitive building the models to be dealt in accordance with its intrinsic characteristics, even more when it comes to be just fair, at the sight of the previous available analysis as well of the Grinstein conjecture, considering the invariance properties of systems as a more relevant factor than the reversibility conditions in what concerns the establishment of its universality class. The three states Potts model, indeed, shares its symmetry characteristics with those owned by the elements of the referred group and, also, concerning it there is a considerable amount of well confirmed information, becoming suitable for contrasting the results obtained. Henceforth, this work is focused on the numerical determination of the entropy production rate in irreversible systems whose invariance properties are the ones defined by the C_ symmetry group, implementing for that porpoise Monte Carlo simulations over square lattices models with the proper symmetries. By its own, the entropy production is determined in accordance with the Schnakenberg prescription (Scnhakenberg [1976]); deeply related with the probability currents emerging within irreversible systems as consequence of microscopic reversibility violation, which, in equilibrium, is imposed due to the mandatory equality between the evolution directions of all possible cyclic paths through a succession of states assumed by the system. As a second instance of this work, the scaling properties of the studied models during the first period of its evolution, just after the microscopic scale of time, were also analyzed. Henceforth, the determination of its dynamical exponents, as well as its characterization within the context of \"short time scaling\'\' (Jansent et al. [1989]) was realized through the calculus of some quantities with proven signatures of presenting an scalable \"initial slip\'\', finding strong suggestions for the models of being in the same universality class of the three state Potts model, fact coherent with the Grinstein conjecture if extended over them, but also with the observed behavior of the entropy production.

A ordem Cetacea compreende golfinhos e baleias, mamíferos totalmente adaptados ao ambiente aquático. A língua de duas espécies de cetáceos, Pontoporia blainvillei e Sotalia fluviatilis, foram utilizadas para descrição da morfologia das papilas linguais e da superfície de interface epitélio-tecido conjuntivo da lâmina própria, empregando as técnicas de microscopia de luz e eletrônica de varredura. As línguas foram fixadas e divididas em três porções: rostral, médio e caudal e processadas conforme os protocolos das técnicas utilizadas. A língua da Pontoporia blainvillei e Sotalia fluviatilis estava revestida por um epitélio estratificado queratinizado, sendo possível observar as camadas basal, espinhosa, granulosa e córnea. Pode-se notar que na língua, o tecido conjuntivo denso apresentava vasos sanguíneos e profundamente relacionado com o tecido muscular. A superfície de interface epitélio-tecido conjuntivo da lâmina própria apresentou papilas conjuntivas de várias formas. Elas correspondem às papilas filiformes e valadas, mostrando feixes de fibras colágenas em disposição original. Na microscopia de luz polarizada revelou-se fibras colágenas do tipo I e III. No terço médio e caudal de ambas as espécies foram encontradas ácinos de glândulas salivares. As amostras tratadas com solução de hidróxido de sódio, tiveram a camada epitelial removida, e as papilas conjuntivas foram observadas em aspecto tridimensional. Foi possível observar que a superfície dorsal de ambas as espécies é totalmente recoberta por papilas conjuntivas de aspecto filiforme. Observa-se também a presença dos forames dos ductos das glândulas salivares nas porções média e caudal da língua, sendo eles mais numerosos nos filhotes. Morfometricamente, as papilas conjuntivas apresentaram maior comprimento na espécie Sotalia fluviatilis do que na Pontoporia blainville. Foi observado somente na espécie Pontoporia blainvillei estruturas conjuntivas arredondadas na região média e caudal. Embora as áreas dessas estruturas tenham sido maiores na região caudal que na média, estatisticamente estes resultados não foram significativos (P>0,05). / The Cetacea order comprises dolphins and whales, mammals totally adapted to the aquatic ambient. The tongue of two cetaceans species, Pontoporia blainvillei and Sotalia fluviatilis, was studied for description of the morphology of the lingual papillae and of interface epithelium the connective tissue surface, using the light and scanning electron microscopic techniques. The tongues were fixed and divided in three portions: rostral, medium and caudal and treated according to the protocols of techniques used. The tongues of the Pontoporia blainvillei and Sotalia fluviatilis were covered by keratinized stratified epithelium, being that is possible to verify the basal, spinosa, granular and cornetiel ayers. In the tongue the dense connective tissue of lamina propria showed blood vessels and muscular layer was deeply related. The interface epithelium-connective tissue surface of the lamina propria presented connective tissue papillae which are various in shape. They correspond to the filiform and vallate papillae showing the collagen fibers bunches in original disposition. In the polarized light microscopy revealed collagen fibers type I and III. In the medium and caudal third of both species various groupins of salivary gland acini. The samples treated with sodium hydroxide solution, the epithelial layer was removed and the connective tissue papillae were observed in three-dimensional SEM images. It was possible to observe that the dorsal surface of the both species is totally covered by connective tissue papillae of filiform aspect. We observed also the presence of the ducts of the salivary glands in the media and caudal portions of the tongue, being them more numerous in pups. Morphometric analysis showed that the connective tissue papillae presented larger length in the Sotalia fluviatilis than in the Pontoporia blainville samples. The round connectives structures in the media and caudal portions were observed only the Pontoporia blainvillei species. Although, the areas of those structures have been major in the caudal region than media, and these results were not signifficant (P>0,05).

Orientador: Luis Antonio Mathias / Banca: José Jurandir Fagliari / Banca: Fernanda Senter Magajevski / Resumo: Foram investigados a prevalência e os fatores de risco da leptospirose bovina no Estado do Maranhão. O Estado foi dividido em quatro circuitos amostrais com base em parâmetros de produção distintos que variam conforme os diferentes sistemas de produção, as práticas de manejo, a finalidade de exploração, o tamanho médio dos rebanhos e os sistemas de comercialização. Objetivou-se estudar as características epidemiológicas da leptospirose bovina no Estado do Maranhão, de modo a determinar a prevalência em bovinos e em rebanhos, detectar as sorovariedades de Leptospira spp. presentes, identificar os fatores de risco eventualmente associados à leptospirose em bovinos e diferenciar os circuitos pecuários entre si no que se refere à prevalência de leptospirose. A pesquisa foi realizada em 136 propriedades rurais pertencentes ao circuito I, no qual 841 fêmeas bovinas com idade igual ou maior que 24 meses foram analisadas; 238 do circuito II, com 2.582 fêmeas analisadas; 122 do circuito III, com 869 fêmeas analisadas; e 77 do circuito IV, com 540 fêmeas analisadas; no total, 573 propriedades e 4.832 fêmeas foram estudadas. A presença de anticorpos contra Leptospira spp. foi verificada pela técnica de soroaglutinação microscópica (SAM). Das 4.832 fêmeas bovinas analisadas, 1.904 (35,94%; IC 95% = 33,01% - 38,98%) foram reagentes. Das 573 propriedades analisadas, 380 (64,81%; IC 95% = 61,10% - 68,35%) foram consideradas positivas. As sorovariedades Hardjo e Wolffi foram as mais frequentes em todo o Estado. O circuito III foi o que apresentou menor prevalência de leptospirose em todas as comparações. As variáveis identificadas como fatores de risco de leptospirose foram: presença de equinos (p = 0,000), presença de capivaras (p = 0,034) e rebanhos bovinos com 32 ou mais fêmeas adultas (p = 0,002) / Abstract: Prevalence and risk factors of bovine leptospirosis in the state of Maranhão were investigated. Based on production parameters that vary across different production systems, management practices, the purpose of exploitation, the average size of herds and market systems, the state was divided in four sampling circuits. The study aimed to investigate the epidemiological features of bovine leptospirosis in the state of Maranhão, in order to determine the prevalence of the infection in cattle and herds, to determine the occurrence of serovars of Leptospira spp., to identify risk factors associated with leptospirosis in cattle and to differentiate the livestock circuits itself regarding the prevalence of leptospirosis. The survey was conducted in 136 herds in the circuit I, in which 841 ≥ 24 months old females were analyzed; 238 in the circuit II and 2,582 females were analyzed; 122 in the circuit III and 869 females were analyzed; 77 in the circuit IV and 540 females were analyzed; a total of 573 herds and 4,832 females were analyzed. The presence of antibodies against Leptospira spp. was verified by microscopic agglutination test (MAT). Of the 4,832 cows examined, 1,904 (35.94%, CI 95% = 33.01% - 38.98%) were positive. Of the 573 herds, 380 (64.81%, CI 95% = 61.10% - 68.35%) were positive. Serovars Hardjo and Wolffi were the most frequent in the state. The circuit III showed the lowest prevalence of leptospirosis in all comparisons. The variables presence of horses (p = 0.000), presence of capybaras (p = 0.034) and herds with up to 32 adult females (p = 0.002) were identified as risk factors for leptospirosis / Mestre

Schistosoma mansoni é o parasita causador da esquistossomose mansônica que, de acordo com o Ministério da Saúde do Brasil, afeta atualmente vários milhões de pessoas no país. Uma das formas de diagnóstico da esquistossomose é a detecção de ovos do parasita através da análise de lâminas microscópicas com material fecal. Esta tarefa é extremamente cansativa, principalmente nos casos de baixa endemicidade, pois a quantidade de ovos é muito pequena. Nesses casos, uma abordagem computacional para auxílio na detecção de ovos facilitaria o trabalho de diagnóstico. Os ovos têm formato ovalado, possuem uma membrana translúcida, apresentam uma espícula e sua cor é ligeiramente amarelada. Porém nem todas essas características são observadas em todos os ovos e algumas delas são visíveis apenas com uma ampliação adequada. Além disso, o aspecto visual do material fecal varia muito de indivíduo para indivíduo em termos de cor e presença de diversos artefatos (tais como partículas que não são desintegradas pelo sistema digestivo), tornando difícil a tarefa de detecção dos ovos. Neste trabalho investigamos, em particular, o problema de detecção das linhas que contornam a borda de vários dos ovos. Propomos um método composto por duas fases. A primeira fase consiste na detecção de estruturas do tipo linha usando operadores morfológicos. A detecção de linhas é dividida em três etapas principais: (i) realce de linhas, (ii) detecção de linhas, e (iii) refinamento do resultado para eliminar segmentos de linhas que não são de interesse. O resultado dessa fase é um conjunto de segmentos de linhas. A segunda fase consiste na detecção de subconjuntos de segmentos de linha dispostos em formato elíptico, usando um algoritmo baseado na transformada Hough. As elipses detectadas são fortes candidatas a contorno de ovos de S. mansoni. Resultados experimentais mostram que a abordagem proposta pode ser útil para compor um sistema de auxílio à detecção dos ovos. / Schistosoma mansoni is one of the parasites which causes schistosomiasis. According to the Brazilian Ministry of Health, several million people in the country are currently affected by schistosomiasis. One way of diagnosing it is by egg identification in stool. This task is extremely time-consuming and tiring, especially in cases of low endemicity, when only few eggs are present. In such cases, a computational approach to help the detection of eggs would greatly facilitate the diagnostic task. Schistosome eggs present oval shape, have a translucent membrane and a spike, and their color is slightly yellowish. However, not all these features are observed in every egg and some of them are visible only with an adequate microscopic magnification. Furthermore, the visual aspect of the fecal material varies widely from person to person in terms of color and presence of different artifacts (such as particles which are not disintegrated by the digestive system), making it difficult to detect the eggs. In this work we investigate the problem of detecting lines which delimit the contour of the eggs. We propose a method comprising two steps. The first phase consists in detecting line-like structures using morphological operators. This line detection phase is divided into three steps: (i) line enhancement, (ii) line detection, and (iii) result refinement in order to eliminate line segments that are not of interest. The output of this phase is a set of line segments. The second phase consists in detecting subsets of line segments arranged in an elliptical shape, using an algorithm based on the Hough transform. Detected ellipses are strong candidates to contour of S. mansoni eggs. Experimental results show that the proposed approach has potential to be effectively used as a component in a computer system to help egg detection.

nÃo hà / A modelagem microscÃpica do fluxo de veÃculos na infraestrutura viÃria urbana tem se constituÃdo uma potencial ferramenta para a anÃlise do desempenho da seguranÃa viÃria (DSV) frente aos tradicionais mÃtodos de anÃlise com base nos estudos observacionais. Para consolidar essa abordagem existem desafios prÃticos e metodolÃgicos que foram tratados como objetivos nesta pesquisa, dentre os quais se destacam: (i) a identificaÃÃo de indicadores proxy eficientes para as anÃlises de seguranÃa nesse ambiente; (ii) a anÃlise dos algoritmos de microssimulaÃÃo quanto a sua eficÃcia de representaÃÃo dos processos de conduÃÃo no meio urbano, (iii) a definiÃÃo de um procedimento sistemÃtico de estimaÃÃo do DSV com o uso de microssimuladores de trÃfego e (iv) a validaÃÃo dos indicadores sintÃticos usados para medir o DSV. Diante deste contexto, esta pesquisa tem como objetivo geral apresentar uma contribuiÃÃo metodolÃgica para a utilizaÃÃo da microssimulaÃÃo de trÃfego nas anÃlises do DSV no processo de planejamento tÃtico operacional dos sistemas de transporte com foco nas interseÃÃes urbanas. O procedimento metodolÃgico proposto considerou a realizaÃÃo de cinco etapas: 1) seleÃÃo e caracterizaÃÃo do local de estudo, 2) codificaÃÃo do local no microssimulador, 3) planejamento da simulaÃÃo, 4) calibraÃÃo e validaÃÃo do modelo e 5) estimaÃÃo dos indicadores. A aplicaÃÃo do procedimento considerou trÃs interseÃÃes semaforizadas da cidade de Fortaleza, utilizando a plataforma de microssimulaÃÃo de trÃfego VISSIM. Os resultados alcanÃados indicaram que foi possÃvel estimar o DSV com relativo nÃvel de confianÃa e um procedimento complementar de validaÃÃo dos indicadores revelou um nÃvel de consistÃncia entre o nÃmero estimado de conflitos de interaÃÃes longitudinais e o nÃmero observado de colisÃes traseiras observadas em campo. / The microscopic modeling of traffic flow in urban road infrastructure has proven to be a potential tool for analyzing the performance of road safety (DSV) compared to traditional methods of analysis based on observational studies. To consolidate this approach there are practical and methodological challenges that have been treated as objectives in this research, among which are: (i) the identification of efficient synthetic indicators for the analysis of safety in this environment, (ii) the analysis of the microscopic algorithms and their effectiveness in the representation of the driving processes in urban areas, (iii) the definition of a systematic procedure for estimating the DSV using a microscopic platform and (iv) concerning the validation of synthetic indicators used to measure the DSV. Given this context, this research intended to provide a general methodological contribution to the use of microscopic traffic simulators for the analysis of the DSV in tactical and operational transportation systems planning process with focus on urban intersections. The proposed methodological procedure considered the completion of five steps: 1) selection and site characterization study, 2) coding the site in microsimulator 3) planning of the simulation, 4) calibration and validation of the model and 5) estimation of the indicators. The procedure considered three signalized intersections in the city of Fortaleza, using VISSIM  as simulation platform. The results indicated that it was possible to estimate the DSV with relative confidence level and a complementary procedure for validation of the indicators showed a consistent level of consistency between the estimated number of conflicts of longitudinal interactions and observed number of rear end collisions observed in the field.

A leptospirose bovina é uma das principais doenças reprodutivas que interfere diretamente nos índices de produção e produtividade da pecuária brasileira e mundial e por isso necessita de um aprimoramento do diagnóstico laboratorial. O objetivo do presente trabalho foi investigar a conveniência do emprego de estirpes de leptospiras autóctones isoladas no Brasil, na coleção de antígenos da microtécnica de soroaglutinação microscópica (SAM) aplicada a leptospirose. A coleção de antígenos de referência foi constituída pelos sorovares: Australis, Bratislava, Autumnalis, Butembo, Castellonis, Bataviae, Canicola, Whitcombi, Cynopteri, Grippotyphosa, Hebdomadis, Copenhageni, Icterohaemorrhagiae, Javanica, Panama, Pomona, Pyrogenes, Hardjo, Wolffi, Shermani, Tarassovi, Patoc e Sentot. As dez estirpes isoladas no Brasil incluíram os sorovares: Bananal (duas estirpes), Brasiliensis, Canicola (três estirpes), Copenhageni, Guaricura e Pomona (duas estirpes). Foram amostradas por conveniência, 109 propriedades e 9820 bovinos, fêmeas em idade de procriar, distribuídos em 84 municípios, dos Estados de: Goiás, Mato Grosso, Mato Grosso do Sul, Minas Gerais, Paraná, Rio Grande do Sul, Santa Catarina e São Paulo. Dos 9820 animais examinados, 5806 (59,12%) foram reagentes na SAM para qualquer sorovar com a coleção de 23 sorovares de referência. Com a coleção de antígenos de referência e dez estirpes autóctones houve 6400 (65,17%) reagentes, a diferença observada foi significante (p= 0,001). O único Estado em que não houve diferença significante no número de animais reatores para qualquer sorovar foi o de Santa Catarina (p=0,522). Das 109 propriedades trabalhadas, 106 foram consideradas positivas com pelo menos um animal reagente na SAM. Não houve diferença no número de propriedades positivas segundo a coleção de antígenos empregada. Os sorovares mais prováveis identificados com a coleção de antígenos de referência foram Hardjo (43,03 %), Shermani (20 %), Wolffi (9,96%), Grippothyphosa (5,42%) e Pomona (4,28%). Com a coleção ampliada por dez estirpes isoladas no Brasil, os sorovares mais prováveis foram Hardjo (31,00%), Guaricura - M4/84 (22,50%), Shermani (15,43%), Wolffi (4,76%), Grippothyphosa (3,71%) e Autumnalis (3,24%). O sorovar Guaricura, estirpe M4/84, isolada de bovinos e búfalos no Estado de São Paulo, foi o primeiro colocado como sorovar mais provável no Estado de Mato Grosso, diferença significante do valor obtido para o sorovar Hardjo (p= 0,0001). No Mato Grosso do Sul a despeito do valor absoluto ter sido superior para o sorovar Guaricura, a diferença observada com o sorovar Hardjo foi destituída de significado estatístico (p=.0,753). Em São Paulo o Guraricura foi o segundo colocado e em Minas Gerais Goiás ocupou a terceira posição. Esta mesma estirpe foi a mais provável em 27 propriedades das 109 trabalhadas (24,77%). A introdução de estirpes autóctones na coleção de antígenos da SAM propiciou a confirmação do diagnóstico de leptospirose em 594 animais (6,00%) classificados como não reagentes pela coleção de referência (p=0,001) / Bovine leptospirosis is one of the main reproductive diseases which interferes economically on the livestock and thus it is needed the amelioration of the laboratory diagnostic procedures. The aim of this work is to investigate the adequacy to use autochthonous strains of leptospires isolated in Brazil, added into the antigen collection applied for the microscopic agglutination test (MAT). The reference antigen collection was constituted by the following serovars: Australis, Bratislava, Autumnalis, Butembo, Castellonis, Bataviae, Canicola, Whitcombi, Cynopteri, Grippothyphosa, Hebdomadis, Copenhageni, Icterohaemorrhagiae, Javanica, Panama, Pomona, Pyrogenes, Hardjo, Wolffi, Shermani, Tarassovi, Patoc and Sentot. The ten strains isolated in Brazil included the serovars: Bananal (two strains), Brasiliensis, Canicola (three strains), Copenhageni, Guaricura and Pomona (two strains). By means of non-probability sampling, 109 farms and 9,820 bovines, females at reproductive age were chosen from the 84 municipalities of the states of Goiás, Mato Grosso, Mato Grosso do Sul, Minas Gerais, Paraná, Rio Grande do Sul, Santa Catarina e São Paulo . Among the 9,820 examined animals, 5,806 (59.12%) were reactants to the MAT for any serovar using the 23 reference serovars. Using the collection of reference serovars and the ten autochthonous strains there were 6,400 (65.24%) reactants, and the difference found was significant (p=0.001). The only state with non-significant results in the number of reactants for any serovar was the State of Santa Catarina (p=0.522). Of the 109 properties analyzed, 106 were considered positive at least with one reactant animal by MAT. According to the antigens used, there was no significant difference among the properties. The most probable serovars identified by the collection of reference antigens were Hardjo (43.03%), Shermani (20.00%), Wolfi (9.96%), Grippothyphosa (5.42%) and Pomona (4.28%). With the collection amplified with the ten strains isolated in Brazil, the most probable serovars were Hardjo (31.00%), Guaricura M4/84 (22.50%), Shermani (15.43%), Wolffi (4.76%), Grippothyphosa (3.71%) and Autumnalis (3.24%). The serovar Guaricura, strain M4/84, isolated from bovines and buffaloes in the State of São Paulo, was ranked at the first place as the most probable serovar in the State of Mato Grosso and Mato Grosso do Sul, but the differences observed with the serovar Hardjo were significant only in Mato Grosso (p=0,0001). In São Paulo State, the Guaricura serovar was the second most probable and in the states of Minas Gerais and Goiás the third one. This same strain was the most probable in 27 properties among the 109 examined (24.77%). The addition of autochthonous strains into the MAT antigen collection provided the confirmation of the diagnosis of leptospirosis in 594 animals (6.00%) which have been classified as non-reactants by the reference collection