Antenna arrays are able to provide high and controlled directivity, which are suitable for radiobase stations, radar systems, and point-to-point or satellite links. The optimization of an array design is usually a hard task because of the non-linear characteristic of multiobjective, requiring the application of numerical techniques, such as genetic algorithms. Therefore, in order to optimize the electronic control of the antenna array radiation pattem through genetic algorithms in real codification, it was developed a numerical tool which is able to positioning the array major lobe, reducing the side lobe levels, canceling interference signals in specific directions of arrival, and improving the antenna radiation performance. This was accomplished by using antenna theory concepts and optimization methods, mainly genetic algorithms ones, allowing to develop a numerical tool with creative genes codification and crossover rules, which is one of the most important contribution of this work. The efficiency of the developed genetic algorithm tool is tested and validated in several antenna and propagation applications. 11 was observed that the numerical results attend the specific requirements, showing the developed tool ability and capacity to handle the considered problems...

This work consists in the use of techniques of signals processing and artificial neural networks to identify leaks in pipes with multiphase flow. In the traditional methods of leak detection exists a great difficulty to mount a profile, that is adjusted to the found in real conditions of the oil transport. These difficult conditions go since the unevenly soil that cause columns or vacuum throughout pipelines until the presence of multiphases like water, gas and oil; plus other components as sand, which use to produce discontinuous flow off and diverse variations. To attenuate these difficulties, the transform wavelet was used to map the signal pressure in different resolution plan allowing the extraction of descriptors that identify leaks patterns and with then to provide training for the neural network to learning of how to classify this pattern and report whenever this characterize leaks. During the tests were used transient and regime signals and pipelines with punctures with size variations from ½' to 1' of diameter to simulate leaks and between Upanema and Estreito B, of the UN-RNCE of the Petrobras, where it was possible to detect leaks. The results show that the proposed descriptors considered, based in statistical methods applied in domain transform...

The development of wireless telecommunication in the last years has been great. It has been taking academics to conceive new ideas and techniques. Their aims are to increase the capacity and the quality of the system s services. Cells that are smaller every time, frequencies that are every time higher and environments that get more and more complex, all those facts deserve more accurate models the propagation prediction techniques are inserted in this context and results with a merger of error that is compatible with the next generations of communication systems. The objective of this Work is to present results of a propagation measurement campaign, aiming at pointing the characteristics of the mobile systems covering in the city of Natal (state of Rio Grande do Norte, Brazil). A mobile laboratory was set up, using the infra-structure available and frequently used by ANATEL. The measures were taken in three different areas: one characterized by high buildings, high relief, presence of trees and towers of different highs. These areas covered the city s central zone, a suburban / rural zone and a section of coast surrounded by sand dunes. It is important to highlight that the analysis was made taking into consideration the actual reality of cellular systems with covering ranges by reduced cells...

A neuro-fuzzy system consists of two or more control techniques in only one structure. The main characteristic of this structure is joining one or more good aspects from each technique to make a hybrid controller. This controller can be based in Fuzzy systems, artificial Neural Networks, Genetics Algorithms or rein forced learning techniques. Neuro-fuzzy systems have been shown as a promising technique in industrial applications. Two models of neuro-fuzzy systems were developed, an ANFIS model and a NEFCON model. Both models were applied to control a ball and beam system and they had their results and needed changes commented. Choose of inputs to controllers and the algorithms used to learning, among other information about the hybrid systems, were commented. The results show the changes in structure after learning and the conditions to use each one controller based on theirs characteristics; Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior; Neste trabalho é mostrado tanto o desenvolvimento quanto as características de algumas das principais técnicas utilizadas para o controle inteligente de sistemas. Partindo de um controlador fuzzy foi possível aplicar técnicas de aprendizagem, similares às utilizadas pelas Redes Neurais Artificiais (RNA's)...

Because of disability in public policy development in mind to attend issues of sanitation in the municipalities, companies known as "clean-blue" appeared proposing to solve a simple collection and management of wastewater produced in single or multifamily residences, commercial, hospitals, etc. In the case of an activity in which there are no worries about the fate of sewage, emerged some doubts about the degree of health and environmental safety in these companies. Traditionally, most of them makes the provision of waste depleted soil or wetland, open, usually located on the outskirts of cities (MENESES, 2001). In turn, the sludge from septic tanks exhausted, provided no technical criteria - in the soil, rivers and as an agricultural fertilizer put in risk the health of the population and environmental quality. This work was entered in the search network 5 of the Notice of the Research Program in Sanitation - PROSAB-5, aimed to study the theme 'Characterization and study of alternative ways of treating sludge from septic tanks in the city of Natal, RN', proposing to evaluate the performance of the use of stabilization ponds as a system to handle waste from septic tanks exhausted. A series of lakes studied belong to one of the largest clean-pit of Natal...

Although the good performance in organic matter and suspended solids removal, the anaerobic reactors are unable to remove ammonia nitrogen from sewage, which makes indispensable to include a step of post-treatment for removal of ammonia or nitrate as necessary. This paper presents the performance of a new variant technology, where the nitrification unit, preceded by anaerobic units, is a submerged aerated biological filter, without continuous sludge discharge in their daily operation. The oxygenation system is very simple and inexpensive, consisting of perforated hoses and compressors. The anaerobic reactors are a septic tank with two chambers followed (8.82 m³) and two parallel anaerobic filters (36 m³ each) filled with ceramic bricks and conics plastic parts. Both followed aerated filters were filled with cut corrugated conduit. The study evaluated the behavior of the system with constant domestic sewage flow (10 m³/d) and different aeration conditions, are these: stage 01, when applied air flow of 0.01 m³ air/min in both aerated filter; stage 02, remained in the initial air flow rate in the second aerated filter and increased at the first to 0.05 m³ air/min; at last, at last, in stage 03, the air flow rate of first aerated filter was 0.10 m³ air/min and on the second remained at 0.01 m³ air/min. The filter FA1 received load of 0.41 kg COD/m³.d...

One of the most important natural resources for sustaining human life, water, has been losing the basic requirements of quality and quantity sufficient enough to attend the population due to water contamination'problems, often caused by human beings themselves. Because of this, the sources of this resource are often located in remote places of the natural environment to ensure the quality of the water. However, when urban expansion began to occupy these areas, which were once regarded as distant, environmental pollution problems began to occur due to occupation of the land without planning. Based on this occurrence, this study aims to propose environmental zoning for the Maxaranguape river watershed in order to protect its water resources. This is important because this river can serve as a source of supply for the metropolitan area of Natal, the capital of Rio Grande do Norte. In accordance to this proposition, the model of natural soil loss vulnerability (CREPANI et al., 2001), the model of aquifer pollution vulnerability (FOSTER et al., 2006), and the legal incompatibility map (CREPANI et al., 2001) were used to delimit the zones. All this was done with Geographic Information System (GIS) and also created a geographic database update of the basin. The results of the first model mentioned indicated that 63.67% of the basin was classified as moderately stable / vulnerable...

In Natal/RN, 68% of the population uses some kind of individual system for their domestic sewers treatment, being that the most used it is septic tank, followed by sumidouro. Every treatment system of sewers, usually used, generates a by-product denominated sludge. That residue presents some components, in its constitution, undesirable under the environmental and sanitary point of view. In such case, to assure that the system treatment has satisfactory results, it is necessary to do the adjusted disposition of the sludge sewage. Several countries are looking for technical alternatives for the use and disposition of residues. Under technical and environmental conditions appropriate, these materials can be used, decreasing the consumption of the natural resources and the treatment need, storage or elimination of the wastes, what decrease the risks created. Some of the alternatives of recycling of the sludge sewage are: the application in the agriculture, in the production of energy and as raw material in the civil construction. This study evaluated asphalt mixtures behavior that partially substituted conventional aggregates by septic tank sludge. The septic tank sludge gave origin to two raw materials called raw sludge and sludge ash. The raw sludge was put as a small aggregate and the sludge ash as filler. In the first experiment it was made a comparison between the mixture with conventional aggregates and the mixtures that replaced sand by raw sludge in the proportions from 5% to 40%. In the second experiment...

La recherche de la formation des citoyens critiques et participatifs, dans le travail pédagogique avec les jeunes et les adultes, a besoin d un entraînement pédagogique qui va au delà de l attitude traditionnelle d'apprendre avec des méthodes mécaniques et arbitraires qui, en insistant excessivement sur l image du professeur, donnent priorité à l'enseignement, au détriment de l apprentissage. Dans ce sens, la présente étude, cherchant la possibilité de réalisation d'un travail alternatif pour l'enseignement des Mathématiques, dans une perspective transdisciplinaire, dans le sens de développer l apprentissage significatif des étudiants jeunes et adultes du Projet Croire, présente les résultats d'une recherche-intervention qui a utilisé les lettres du tarot comme ressource didactique en salle de classe. On prétend, avec cela, montrer cet instrument comme facilité d apprentissage de contenus des Mathématiques comme systèmes de numération, nombres entiers et géométrie, en amenant les Mathématiques dans une perspective historique et culturelle et donnant un traitement global à l'acte complexe d'apprendre. Dans ce travail, le jeune étudiant et l étudiant adulte est pris comme individu concret, prenant en considération les aspects cognitifs et les aspects d attitude de son apprentissage...

The accomplishment of this work was motivated by our concerns, while teacher of Physics discipline, in the medium teaching and in the higher education, where we have been observing a lot of difficulties in the students' acting, to the they try to give pursuit out to their studies of the classroom, because of the lack of appropriate equipments, or even, of a laboratory where they can put in practice the studied contents. The work aims at to build and to test an educational software that it serves as tool auxiliadora in Physics learning in the Medium Teaching, in the area of electricity, with emphasis in the study of the electrodynamic in resistors. The developed software comes as an alternative to the learning problems, putting the computer science as auxiliary tool, because, besides being an alternative in the middle of the technological expansion, endowed with several resources, it stimulates the significant learning, according to David Ausubel's perspective. A software containing a program destined to the applicability of physics contents in the branch of the electricity is presented as an auxiliary tool, where the student can, not just, to review the contents presented at room, as well as for in practice, through a virtual laboratory...

The Brazilian legal documents are directing the reformulation of the courses that prepare students to be teachers. Through out the country many institutions look for to fit themselves in such documents. On the other hand, other IES (Superior Education Institutions), when they are setting up such courses they looked for to be adequate to the new public politics. Based on the National Curricular Norms to form teachers for Basic Education, in tertiary level, in 2004 it was created at the CEFET-PB,the Chemistry Course (Licenciatura) to prepare people to be teachers, whose organization. This work presents the results of a research of phenomenological nature that aimed to comprehend the teachers opinions, in the range of discussions about the current politics of formation, particularly related to the CNE/CP 1 and CNE/CP 2/2002 resolutions. This work based on the curricular proposal for the Chemistry Course (Licenciatura), presents the relationship between the probationary period and the teaching practice at the CEFET-PB, in order to contribute for a reflection about these categories to clarify the teachers of the course. It started from the consideration of all changes operated in contemporary society implies changes on teacher's pedagogical practices. It was used tow instruments for the data collection: a questionnaire with open and closed questions and recordable interviews. Nine teachers form the CEFET-PB took apart and four licensed teachers. It was based in a theoretic frame as a support for discussions about the different models of teachers formation. We concluded that the representations of teachers about probationary period the practice on the activity for the teachers formation was strongly anchored in characteristic elements of the formative tendency of a institution that historically acted on a technician formation...

Identificar o conhecimento de profissionais da atenção primária sobre a identificação precoce do câncer infanto-juvenil e descrever o desempenho das equipes de saúde antes da realização de treinamentos para identificação precoce do câncer infanto-juvenil. Método: Os dados foram obtidos por um questionário e grupo focal com 30 profissionais de uma Unidade de Saúde da Família, e analisados por temas geradores. Resultados: Os profissionais possuem conhecimentos sobre a identificação do câncer infanto-juvenil, e, demandam conhecer mais sobre os sinais e sintomas para identificação precoce, e a prestação de uma assistência sistematizada. Conclusão: Torna-se fundamental estimular a qualificação dos profissionais da atenção primária para a identificação precoce e o fortalecimento de uma rede de assistência que proporcione atendimento integral e a redução no retardo do diagnóstico de câncer infanto-juvenil; To identify the knowledge of primary care professionals about early identification of juvenile cancer and describe the performance of health teams prior to training to identify cancer early juvenile. Method: Data were obtained by a questionnaire and a focus group with 30 employees of a Family Health Unit...

This study aimed to analyze the social representations of Brazilian and Portuguese nurses on stress in the emergency service. A semi-structured interview and the free word association test, with "stress" as the inductive stimulus, were used as research instruments. Data were collected from 120 nurses, being 60 from an emergency hospital in the city of Natal, Brazil and 60 from an urgency hospital in the city of Aveiro, Portugal. Data from the word association test were analyzed with the EVOC 2002 program, after thematic categorical content analysis, enabling construction of a data bank. Data gathered from the interview were analyzed by ALCESTE 4.8 software. Nurse represent the stress in the urgency department as a generation of physical and mental detrition where adaptation is unsatisfactorily, resulting in the onset of fatigne, irritability, lack of concentration, lack of motivation, pessimism, impaired interpersonal relationship and low productivity. The solution is part of a complex whole, which demands an integrated way of acting that has demanded increasingly professional attitudes based on multidisciplinarity; Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior; O objetivo desta pesquisa foi analisar as representações de enfermeiros brasileiros e portugueses sobre o estresse em serviço de urgência. Utilizou-se como instrumento da pesquisa...

The present study analyzes the conceptions and the nursing workers' practices about the relationship between vaccination and biosecurity in a public hospital of reference in communicable diseases in Natal/RN. It is treated, therefore, of a exploratory/descriptive study with qualitative and quantitative approach. They were constituted as collaborators of the research twenty-two nursing professionals, being five nurses, three auxiliary and fourteen technicians in nursing. The information were obtained through the interview technique with semi-structured route. In the quantitative approach, the information were analyzed by statistics and presented in form of tables and graphs to characterize the workers and the aspects related to the vaccination situation of the same ones; and in the qualitative approach, we used the method of content analysis. The analysis was accomplished starting from the categories empiric coming from the process of analysis of the field material, measure through inferences and interpretations based on the authors studied in the theoretical referential of the research. Starting from the analysis of the results, we verified that the nursing interviewees' workers establish in a clear way and it aims at, in your speeches...

Durante a pesquisa visando à elaboração do relatório antropológico de Boa Vista dos Negros, comunidade quilombola do Seridó (RN), verificamos que o grupo conserva uma longa memória genealógica e que, apesar das mudanças ocorridas na organização econômica e social do grupo, as principais formas de solidariedade foram mantidas. Queremos, aqui, refletir sobre a importância da noção de família, a transmissão dos nomes e da memória genealógica na definição do território quilombola. Na ocasião, serão analisados como os elementos da cultura tradicional são ressignificados ao longo do processo de afirmação étnica

Patellofemoral pain syndrome (PFPS) is described as anterior or retropatellar pain knee in the absence of other pathologies and is frequently associated with dysfunction of the vastus medialis oblique (VMO). However, several studies have demonstrated the inability to selectively activate this muscle through exercise. To evaluate the effect of Neuromuscular Electrical Stimulation (NMES) selective VMO in women with syndrome. We evaluated thirty-eight women: twenty in the control group (24.15 ± 2.60 years) and eighteen diagnosed with PFPS (25.56 ± 3.55 years). Both groups were evaluated before and after a protocol of electro stimulation. To measure for comparing groups before and after treatment, we assessed the extensor torque concentric and eccentric knee through an isokinetic dynamometer, the intensity (Root Mean Square - RMS) and the onset of activation (onset) of VMO compared to the vastus lateralis (VL) in two types of exercise: open and closed kinetic chain. . Statistical analysis was performed using SPSS 15.0, with a significance level of 5%. Results: Our data showed an increase in the intensity of activation (RMS) of the VMO muscle after NMES in both study groups. During concentric contraction the RMS of the VMO before the NMES was 105.69 ± 32.26 μV and after a single intervention was 122.10 ± 39.62 μV (p = 0.048) for the control group. In the group with PPS...

The great interest observed in wireless communication systems has required the development of new configurations of microstrip antennas, because they are easily built and integrated to other microwave circuit components, which is suitable for the construction and development of planar antenna arrays and microwave integrated circuits. This work presents a new configuration of tapered microstrip antenna, which is obtained by impressing U-slots on the conducting patch combined with a transmission line matching circuit that uses an inset length. It is shown that the use of U-slots in the microstrip antenna conducting patch excites new resonating modes, that gives a multiband characteristic for the slotted microstrip antenna, that is suitable for applications in communication systems that operates several frequencies simultaneously. Up to this date, the works reported in the literature deals with the use of Uslotted microstrip rectangular antennas fed by a coaxial probe. The properties of a linear array of microstrip patch tapered antennas are also investigated. The main parameters of the U slotted tapered microstrip antennas are investigated for different sizes and locations of the slots impressed on the conducting patch. The analysis of the proposed antenna is performed by using the resonant cavity and equivalent transmission line methods...

O presente estudo tem como objetivo conhecer as representações sociais sobre o risco ocupacional construídas por trabalhadores da saúde no contexto hospitalar. Trata-se de um estudo exploratório fundamentado no referencial teórico da Teoria das Representações Sociais realizado com duzentos e vinte trabalhadores da saúde pertencentes ao quadro permanente de um hospital público na cidade do Natal- RN. Os dados foram coletados através da Entrevista semi-estruturada e da Técnica da Associação Livre de Palavras. Na análise das informações utilizou-se o software Evoc 2000 e o Alceste. Os resultados indicam condições de trabalho desfavoráveis com desgaste físico e mental ao trabalhador da saúde, e, patologias pouco reconhecidas como ocupacionais em sua origem. Pode-se observar que as representações sociais construídas pelos trabalhadores da saúde, revelam o nível de conscientização desses trabalhadores referentes às consequências do ambiente de trabalho para sua saúde, referindo-se ao processo de trabalho hospitalar, como múltiplo e complexo pela dimensão tecnológica e pelos aspectos físicos, psíquicos e cognitivos

Este artigo apresenta uma nova performance da gestão documental, voltada para o desenvolvimento das coleções no âmbito da informação jurídica, estabelecendo critérios de qualidade para os processos de seleção, aquisição e avaliação das informações. Para esse propósito, é feita uma avaliação das várias dimensões que permeiam a gestão documental da informação jurídica como um todo. A rapidez com que a informação jurídica se inova torna a literatura (ainda que recente) ultrapassada e obsoleta, ocasionando, assim, uma maior dificuldade das bibliotecas permanecerem com suas publicações sempre atualizadas. Por isso, é preciso que sejam elaborados mecanismos de controle e que seja efetuado um bom desenvolvimento dos serviços prestados pelas mesmas. Esses mecanismos são criados por meio da política de desenvolvimento de coleções, pois, quando bem fundamentada, assegura o bibliotecário na tomada de decisões, tanto em relação ao processo de seleção, aquisição e descarte do acervo,como na sustentação da qualidade na atualização da coleção. O processo de desenvolvimento da coleção é visto sob o viés da abordagem sistêmica das organizações.

Until the early 90s, the simulation of fluid flow in oil reservoir basically used the numerical technique of finite differences. Since then, there was a big development in simulation technology based on streamlines, so that nowadays it is being used in several cases and it can represent the physical mechanisms that influence the fluid flow, such as compressibility, capillarity and gravitational segregation. Streamline-based flow simulation is a tool that can help enough in waterflood project management, because it provides important information not available through traditional simulation of finite differences and shows, in a direct way, the influence between injector well and producer well. This work presents the application of a methodology published in literature for optimizing water injection projects in modeling of a Brazilian Potiguar Basin reservoir that has a large number of wells. This methodology considers changes of injection well rates over time, based on information available through streamline simulation. This methodology reduces injection rates in wells of lower efficiency and increases injection rates in more efficient wells. In the proposed model, the methodology was effective. The optimized alternatives presented higher oil recovery associated with a lower water injection volume. This shows better efficiency and...