RCAAP Repository

Since your arrival in the 80 that sida goes through countless metaphors that legitimize the prejudice facing people affected, becoming a handicap the efforts of prevention and treatment of disease. So, people living with HIV tend to suffer a double victimization: the first, caused by the disease itself with its consequences, and the second with respect to the prejudice experienced, marginalizing them socially. The bias is characterized as a form of relationship intergrupal organized around the power relations between groups, producing ideological representations for the expression of negative attitudes and hostile behaviour in relation to members of groups minority shareholders. Prejudice has cognitive components (beliefs and stigma), affective (feelings, emotions) and disposicionais (motivation to Act). On the above, the overall objective of this thesis was to analyze prejudices and perceptions of individual, social and programmatic vulnerabilities of health professionals against people living with HIV/sida. To do so, was with three empirical studies, with 31 participants health professionals of Paraíba, and 16 of the basic attention and 15 specialized care in HIV/sida, nurses and doctors. Most are female, with ages ranging from 25 to 64 years (M = 41.3; DP = 12.6). We used three instruments: free Word Association test, a semi-structured interview and a demographic questionnaire. The study I identified the beliefs of health professionals against people living with HIV/sida and obtained two categories: cognitive beliefs (psychosocial and clinical) and affective beliefs (suffering and prejudice), with the presence of paternalistic evocations, paternalistic and estigimatizantes on HIV-positive people. The study II reviewed the stigma, prejudice and discrimination narratives of health professionals against people with HIV, having emerged three thematic classes: I) Cognitive Component of prejudice (stigmatizing beliefs); II) affective Component of prejudice (feelings of health professionals to PVHA); and III) disposicional Component of prejudice (discrimination against PVHA services; discrimination in front of the professional and services discrimination justified). Finally, the study III, which examined the dimensions of individual, social and programmatic vulnerabilities that health professionals are to PVHA, having emerged the thematic class vulnerabilities, with three categories: individual vulnerability; social vulnerability and programmatic vulnerability. Therefore, it was found that the thesis defended was answered, the beliefs of health professionals of both networks lead to prejudices against PVHA, which in your time were in vulnerability levels. Based on stigmatizing beliefs that associate the PVHA to misinformation, individual accountability in contagion and debauched lifestyle, health professionals have demonstrated the expression of feelings apparently benevolent and positive, but I put them in a position of passivity and inability towards society and your own life. So, was the largest Association of notorious HIV vulnerability of individual nature, which may generate a backlash in response to the epidemic, to admit that the difficulty lies in individuals and social relations installed, not putting in the background need for social and programmatic changes. So, points out the need for professional trainings on HIV/aids within both networks of health access, with emphasis on psychosocial aspects.

Wireless channel modeling is important to perform evaluations of radiofrequency signal propagation in a certain application; that is the case, for example, concerning the communication behavior between sensor nodes of a Wireless Sensor Network (WSN). Different simulators used signal propagation models to simulate the wireless channel. Considering a comparative study of some tools, in this research it was used the OMNet++/Castalia that allows to simulate, among other possibilities, environmental conditions that interfere in the transmission and reception of packets; the effects of AWGN noise; and analises propagation models of wireless channel, such as logdistance, lognormal, Rayleigh fading and Rice fading models, for example. This research work is part of a project to implement a Linear WSN (LWSN) that has as its main purpose to monitor urban environmental variables, particularly related to atmospheric pollution, and characterized by high reliability of communication between sensor nodes. In this context, simulations were performed considering different distances between two sensor nodes of a LWSN in order to obtain values of Packet Error Rate (PER) and Received Signal Strength Indicator (RSSI). Using Root Mean Square Error (RMSE), the values obtained through simulation were compared with real values obtained in a field and the parameters of an optimal propagation model were obtained. As a result, the propagation model that most approached the real environment was lognormal shading with Rayleigh fading and AWGN noise. With respect to reliability, a test configuration was implemented with a LWSN with four sensor nodes consisting of the following configurations: (I) All sensor nodes operating without failures; (II) An intermediate sensor node failing and, (III) Two intermediate sensor nodes failing. Based on theses configurations, it was possible to make an analysis of the reliability of the network with the main result obtaining an optimal distance between nodes of 18.3 m between the considered distances.

One of the main problems of the data acquired by the power utilities is the presence of outliers that affect the database of the measurements throughout the electrical system, damaging the analyzes of the distribution scenario. This work proposes a new module to complement the measurements made by the distributors. A detection technique and three outliers correction techniques were developed, based on fuzzy logic, artificial neural networks and ARIMA. The first technique, with a fuzzy approach, develops an inference system based on the variations of the previous 3 measurements to determine the future variation. In the second algorithm developed using RNA, the outliers were corrected using a prediction model using 10 previous samples. The last correction technique was based on the autoregressive model of the ARIMA type with 96 previous measurements. In order to demonstrate the applicability of the developed methods, a case study was carried out on a real substation in a city in the interior of Paraíba. The three techniques of correction of the outliers presented average relative error less than 5% for all the test scenarios.

The National Agency of Electric Energy (ANEEL) defined that the distributors must contract for each point of connection between the distributor system and the transmitter the necessary demand for the use of its electric system, this contracting is known as the amount of use of the transmission system (MUST). From these amounts, the transmission network usage tariffs are defined, thus establishing the transmission charges to be paid by the distributors and passed on by the company in the energy bills. This work proposes an algorithm based on swarf of particles (PSO) to determine an optimal solution for contracting the amount of the transmission system, with the objective of guaranteeing the lowest cost for contracting, without any type of operational loss in the company, as well as the quality and continuity of energy supply to consumers. We will compare the current process performed by the distributors and the proposed method, with an analysis of a case of an actual distribution system, with the presentation of the results of both the traditional method applied in the concessionaire and the proposed method for realization of hiring.

Biosolid is a residue that can be used in agriculture for fertilizer purposes. Until 2010, this waste was mainly destined to landfills in Brazil. However, under Brazilian law 12,305 / 2010, which instituted the National Solid Waste Policy, the disposal of biosolids to landfills was prohibited. Biosolid is a residue rich in nutrients and organic matter, and can be used for fertilization in various crops. The present study seeks to understand the benefits that biosolids can bring to sugarcane, a culture that puts Brazil first in the world ranking of production. For this, an experiment was carried out at the experimental farm in the city of Pedras de Fogo-PB. The experimental design was a randomized complete block design, consisting of 6 (six) treatments: without fertilization, conventional fertilization, 1x, 2x, 4x and 8x the dose recommended by CONAMA Resolution 375/06, with three replicates each, totaling 18 (eighteen ) experimental plots. The variety RB 92579 of cane was used. In addition to the analyzes carried out directly with sugarcane, it was also sought to understand the effects that biosolids can add to the soil, investigating possible losses or physical-chemical gains and possible contamination by heavy metals. Considering the results obtained, it can be seen that the higher biosolids dosage resulted in significant gains from the point of view of ripening, biomass, and sugarcane production.

Of the forest resources available in the Brazilian Semi-arid, firewood and coal are the most used. The State of Paraíba points to a reality with a large dependence on firewood and charcoal as an energy matrix, both in the domestic and industrial sectors in its production processes. The Sustainable Forest Management Plans (PMFS) are a way to manage the use of forests in a conscious way, ensuring the sustainability of the ecosystem. As a result, it is used as a way to regulate the production of firewood and charcoal. This dissertation produced the characterization of the PMFS, the spatial distribution, the concentration study and the identification of clusters in Paraíba for the year of 2017. The objectives of the dissertation were: i) to analyze the profile, the groupings and the characterization of PMFS in Paraíba, ii) to analyze the concentration or how the PMFS behave in Paraíba, iii) to analyze the PMFS clusters using the Scan Statistic method. In order to achieve the objectives, the database was built through consultation from each PMFS; the characterization was developed through descriptive statistics; the concentration measures for importance evaluation and the Scan Statistics methodology were used to detect clusters in the study areas. The spatial distribution showed a higher number of PMFS in the Sertão and in the Borborema mesoregions. It was verified that the firewood production is higher in the mesoregions of Sertão Paraibano and of Borborema, while the charcoal has higher concentration in the Agreste Paraibano. And the Scan statistic identified a higher incidence of clusters in the Sertão Paraibano mesoregion, what is justified by the large number of PMFS in this area.

The increased demand for natural resources, especially energy and water, has expanded the pressures on the environment. Several water treatment systems already exist or have been developed in order to reduce degradation of the aquatic ecosystem and facilitate the access to water reserves. There are, however, simple and natural techniques - such as phytoremediation - that use resources from the environment itself, which have proved to be important complements, or even alternatives, to the traditional water treatment systems and which have been considered to be quite effective and less expensive in comparison to the latter. Regarding that, this study intended to test the efficacy of the aquatic macrophytes species Eichhornia crassipes (water hyacinth) and Pistia stratiotes (water lettuce) in the phytoremediation process, through physicochemical analyzes of their culture water, obtained from the Jaguaribe River, located in the urban zone of João Pessoa - PB. In addition, it was evaluated the later use of these species as a source of energy through its burning in the form of briquettes, with analyzes of its immediate composition, calorific value and thermal analysis using Nitrogen atmosphere. The results indicate a high remedial capacity of the studied species, especially in terms of removal of total and thermotolerant coliforms, for which the efficiency reached was 99.72% for both species. Regarding their energetic characteristics, the values obtained for the calorific value, of 14,382 MJ/kg (water hyacinth) and 14.185 MJ/kg (water lettuce) are slightly below the European standard, but very close to the values observed for firewood, for which the aquatic biomass briquettes are considered as potential substitutes. The water hyacinth stood out with a calorific value and phytoremediation capacity slightly superior to those of the water lettuce, while the latter presented higher rate of biomass production. With these results it is possible to give adequate allocation to the surplus biomass from the Jaguaribe river’s eutrophication process, while producing energy in a clean and renewable way.

The purpose of this work was to understand the dynamics of climate evolution inherent to the Sertão Paraibano mesoregion, in order to verify the effects of its changes on the potential of electricity production by renewable sources, in particular solar photovoltaic and hydraulic, since these depend on natural resources that may be influenced by climatic conditions. The Sertão Paraibano mesoregion has social, economic and environmental relevance because it contains the state's largest water complex, Coremas-Mãe D'água, used for both the population supply and irrigation and electricity generation by a Small Hydroelectric Plant (SHP). In the study of trends with precipitation data, five meteorological stations were used. The non-parametric Mann-Kendall test was applied to the monthly, quarterly, half-yearly and annual data series for each station. The results indicated a significant tendency of increase for precipitation, observed in four of the five meteorological stations, especially in the annual evaluation, with increments between 2.67 mm/year and 5.45 mm/year. Given the scarcity of meteorological stations with temperature data, data estimated by the Estima_T program for seven localities and data available in two stations maintained by the National Institute of Meteorology (INMET) were used. A low dispersion of the data was obtained in relation to the annual average values, thus, low variability, with the average annual air temperature being between 21.9 ºC (in Teixeira) and 27.8 ºC (in Patos), as expected for regions of semi-arid climate of the Brazilian Northeast. In addition, significant increase trends were observed for mean air temperature in all locations, ranging from 0.008 °C/year to 0.011 °C/year. In view of these climatic changes observed for the Sertão Paraibano mesoregion, it was sought to verify its influence on the potential of energy generation by renewable sources, analyzing the relation between precipitation and the average tributaries and the generation of electricity by the SHP of Coremas. Increases in average air temperature would decrease the efficiency of photovoltaic panels, since the ability to generate electricity depends on its operating temperature. Thus, a direct and significant correlation was observed mainly by comparing the cumulative precipitation in the year of observation together with the two years prior to the production of electricity by SHP. However, the increases observed for precipitation did not influence the electricity production at the plant, due to the prioritization of the multiple uses of the reservoir water. In relation to the potential of photovoltaic solar energy generation, the Sertão Paraibano presented excellent conditions for the implementation of this type of renewable source and the results showed that the electricity generated would be smaller considering for the calculations the last 10 years of average temperature data of the air, ie the most recent data, than if using the oldest data (10 first years) or the complete series. However, this difference was very small and it was possible to conclude that despite the high temperatures recorded and the increases observed from the trend analysis, the potential of energy generation by solar photovoltaic source did not suffer significant changes.

According to the International Energy Agency/USA (IEA): “a smart grid (SG) is an electricity grid that uses digital technology to monitor and manage the transportation of electricity from all sources of generation, finding a variety of demands and users. These networks will be able to coordinate the needs and capabilities of all generators, operators, end-users and stake holders of the electricity market in order to optimize the use and operation of the assets in the process, minimizing environmental costs and impacts while maintaining reliability, resilience and stability of the system”. In this context and looking for the integration and convergence of different systems to incorporate an infrastructure of a SG, this work presents the mathematical modeling, design and implementation of a flexible intelligent electronic device (IED). The proposed IED differs from the existing IEDs presenting flexibility, being able to realize the acquisition of different variables (voltage, current, temperature, pressure, etc.) with different conditioning values, furthermore, the conditioning is carried out by software. The IED can operate as a smart meter, as a dynamic controller (local) and/or as a supervisory controller, thus improving the efficiency, reliability and security of the system. Other advantages of the proposed IED are: low cost, versatility (changes can be made by software), high processing capacity (ARM processor), communication features (hybrid network architecture (HNA)), easy integration (interoperability), easy maintenance (modularity) and scalability.

Given the current technological growth and the integration of the alternative energy generation, it is observed that the development in the areas of power electronics and control, has been leveraging the electric sector through devices capable of processing high levels of power besides guaranteeing a high level of power quality, with minimum harmonic distortion and high power factor.In this sense,power converters deserveto be highlightedbecause theyare verywidespread in power conversion and conditioning applications, especially multilevel converters because they present attractive performance by processing higher power levels, reducing harmonic content and reducing conduction losses. From this point, the present work aims to present an application that integratesthe photovoltaic generationand the compensation of reactive,adding twosimultaneous functions to the converter. For this, a study of the main topologies of the multilevel converters is carried out, in order to choose the best topology for the application. The methodology adopted for the converter was made based on the mathematical modeling and the representation in coordinates dq0. The application of the referential change from a time-varying three-phase system to abc for continuous dq0 allows simplification of the system for better manipulation of variables, making control simpler to implement.

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the most common form of dementia, and its prevalence has increased significantly in recent decades. It is characterized by a cognitive decline, which leads to a drop from an earlier level of functioning and to interference with daily functioning. AD remains without a cure; so far, the two drug classes approved for use (acetylcholinesterase inhibitors and N-methylD-Aspartate receptor antagonist) have shown modest effect on cognition measurements and activities of daily living. In this context of limited treatment efficacy, the use of nonpharmacological strategies has increased, among which we can highlight Cognitive Intervention (CI) and neuromodulation methods through non-invasive cerebral stimulation, such as Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (tDCS). Few studies have been performed with the objective of verifying the efficacy of these techniques associated to the current treatment. Thus, the present study had the objective of evaluating the therapeutic effects of tDCS and CI adjuvant to pharmacotherapy in patients on cognitive and functional measurements in AD. Twenty-two (22) patients diagnosed with early-stage AD were enrolled in the study. The study is a double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled clinical trial. Patients were treated for eight weeks and underwent two evaluations: baseline (T0) and at week 8 (T1). According to this objective, subjects were allocated into four groups receiving different interventions: (a) active tDCS and active cognitive stimulation; (b) sham tDCS and active cognitive stimulation; (c) active tDCS and placebo/sham cognitive stimulation; and (d) sham tDCS and placebo/sham cognitive stimulation. The evaluations were performed prior to initiation and immediately after the application of tDCS. The intervention consists of 3 sessions per week for 2 months, totaling 24 sessions. The instruments used were the portuguese versions of the Alzheimer's Disease Assessment Scale - cognitive subscale (ADAS - COG), as primary outcome and the Disability Assessment for Dementia (DAD) as the secondary outcome. The current intensity for the tDCS was 2m/A applied to 6 cortical regions, while the parameters for the CI were related to the functions performed by the 6 regions chosen to receive tDCS. The results indicated that there were no significant differences between groups for the ADAS - Cog and DAD measurements [χ² (1) = .182, p = .670]. However, considering the averages recorded from pre and post treatment evaluations, an improvement trend was observed by analyzing the overall cognitive assessment measurements in the group submitted to active tDCS and CI, suggesting that this combination of non-pharmacological therapies, in addition to being safe, may represent a promising alternative to adjuvant treatment in AD.

Anxiety has an important role for the species, its presence is necessary for the survival of the individual, assuming the role of defense and preservation, but at high levels causes cognitive and social deficits for those who experience it. The emergence of meditative techniques and relaxation appear as therapeutic possibilities for reducing anxiety levels. Among the most diverse techniques, Schultz's Autogenic Training (TA) emerges as a practical, versatile and inexpensive modality to reduce anxiety and promote a state of well-being. Its applicability to any individual makes it a known practice. The first theoretical study had as objective to carry out a bibliographic survey of studies in the last ones that approach the applicability of the technique for reduction of anxiety The second empirical study, had as objective to verify the effect of the intervention in anxious individuals, observing changes perceived by an anxiety scale and electrophysiological activity through the EEG. Observed a literature that points to the effectiveness of the technique for reduction of anxiety levels and the data of the empirical study noticed changes in the anxiety scores, reducing their perceived levels and the analysis of the electrophysiological activity observed the activation of areas implicated in emotional and attentional processes present in meditative practices. The results of the empirical study suggest that the individuals submitted to the TA presented a significant reduction of the scores on the anxiety scale and presented activation of specific brain regions. It is concluded that TA consists of a technique that may be indicated to provide reduction of anxiety levels.

This study aimed to develop an instrument for measuring the quality and performance of the public health system. The study takes part in the field of Public Management, but it also covers Hospital and Health Administration. The preliminary analysis of the studies carried out shows the problems in the management of the several health systems in the world. The Brazilian system faces great difficulty in balancing resources and expenses to offer a quality service to the population. It was observed a large shortage of management tools of the Brazilian public health system, SUS. The literature revision has identified more than 400 indicators as potentially useful for measuring quality and performance of the health system. By filling out forms, health management specialists` opinions were used to qualify and reduce the number of indicators. Using a measurement scale construction methodology, a quality index of the public health system was proposed based on the cities of Paraíba. The index is made up of five statistically validated indicators. It was applied to build a quality ranking of the public health system of the Paraiban municipalities. The study discusses the different aspects of World health systems and proposes indicators associated with health quality. It also relates the quality of public health to the municipal Human Development Index. The research contributed to the area as it offers a simple and easy-to-use measurement tool that can assist managers, at different government levels, in decision-making to allocate resources and develop strategies. The index still has the potential to be automated and deployed in Internet portal, contributing to the transparency of information to the public.

The theme of the quality of public services with a focus on the public transport service by buses demonstrates relevance, considering the increase in the number of cars on the roads, in addition to traffic jams, delays and increasing pollutant indices. In this way, improving the quality of public transport contributes to minimize these effects and attracting new users to the service, being essential to evaluate the quality offered and to involve users in this process. Therefore, the objective of this research is to analyze the variables that influence the perception of quality of public transportation by bus and the satisfaction of users with the service. Through a systematic review of the literature it was verified that the construct quality of public transport by bus has multidimensional nature, composed by several variables that allow its evaluation. For this, an instrument was developed to measure the construct through a model with eight steps necessary for its validation. Next, we analyze the relation between quality dimensions and satisfaction with services through a multiple linear regression model. As a research strategy, the survey was adopted through the quantitative approach. The sample was applied with 834 respondents, users of public transport services in the cities of João Pessoa and Campina Grande. The measurement scale developed resulted in 7 dimensions and 26 evaluation items, with psychometric consistency of their variables. The relationship between quality dimensions and satisfaction was verified through a forecasting model. The fit of the model revealed that all quality dimensions exert a positive influence on satisfaction, with a higher degree of relative influence of reliability, followed by general safety and comfort. The study contributes to the construction of a measurement scale specific to the service and applicable to the national context. The instrument can be used by local traffic managers to assess the quality of services and promote continuous improvement actions for their users.

The institutional arrangement resulting from the Federal Constitution of 1988 establishes a new basis for the Brazilian federal system by profoundly altering intergovernmental relations. States and municipalities have gained centrality in the decision-making process on public policies with the transfer of resources and responsibilities on the provision of most basic services, something that requires entities, among other capacities, fiscal conditions for the implementation of interventions. Several efforts were made to increase the fiscal performance of Brazilian municipalities. The most recent attempt concerns the creation of the National Support Program for the Administrative and Fiscal Management of Brazilian Municipalities - PNAFM, which seeks to help municipal administrations raise the management standard through financial incentives. Given this framework, it is opportune to analyze the possible impact of the program on the target audience. It should be noted at this point that, in a context of scarce resources and steady growth in demand for quality public services, assessing the impact of public policies and / or programs becomes a first-rate need to ensure continued investment and promote reformulation of inefficient and ineffective actions. Guided by the idea of balance between revenues and expenses and taking the operational result of the financial year as a proxy for fiscal efficiency, the present research sought, through the "difference in difference" method, to investigate the impact of this action on participating in the program. It was observed at the end that the PNAFM had low adherence, with only 11% of the initial expectation reached, which suggests deficiencies in the formulation of the program and low capillarity of public policy. In addition, the per capita operating deficit grew in municipalities at levels above 70% in the comparison between 2001 and 2012, reducing the capacity of meeting the social demands by the local public power. Finally, with a result of only 0.30 difference between the control and treatment groups differences after the program implementation, the hypothesis that the PNAFM produced positive results on the adherent municipalities does not find statistical support in the data. On the contrary, the data allow us to infer with a 99% probability of success that the participation in the NAPPM did not contribute to the improvement of the fiscal performance of the municipalities.

With the end of the cold war the world scenario was modified, new issues emerged and gained space in the international system, for example, environment, energy, human rights, among others. Energy from this moment has gained more prominence and has become the subject of intense debate and reason for the consolidation of agreements between many countries. In this scenario, cooperation also gains strength and ends up being a means for energy relations to become more advantageous for the participants in the agreements. The purpose of this paper is to analyze energy cooperation, having as a unit of analysis South America and, more precisely, the relationship established between Brazil and Bolivia, with the general aim of analyzing the energy cooperation between Brazil and Bolivia revelated by agreements firmings between the countries to answer which were the moments of rapprochement between Brazil and Bolivia? For this, the work is divided into three chapters: the first deals with energy as an element of the international agenda, bringing cooperation as a way to achieve this agenda, the second presents the historical background of the relationship chosen for the analysis and begins the analysis of the agreements and finally, the third chapter tells the left turn in South America and continues the analysis of the agreements after this political change. The analysis of the agreements was carried out with the analysis of content as defined by Bardin (2010).It should also be noted that the theme of energy was chosen because of its importance and relevance in the international system and the analysis of South America because it is rich in energy resources, and the Brazil - Bolivia relationship for presenting points in which international cooperation has always been and was chosen as a way to minimize conflicts and maximize gains.

In Brazil, basic sanitation is one of the most vulnerable areas of cities, especially in the poorest neighborhoods of large urban centers and in small municipalities. Since the end of the National Plan for Sanitation (Planasa), the municipal management of the sector was inserted in a context marked by the absence of a legal framework, and with the emergence of Law 11.445/07, the National Basic Sanitation Law, put an end to this vacuum institution. After more than ten years of the law, studies on the policies and municipal management of services are still incipient. Considering that the management of basic sanitation services is presented according to different models, and the focus of the work is in small municipalities in the state of Paraíba, the present dissertation had the objective of analyzing the characteristics of the management models of the services of sanitation (water supply and sanitary sewage) practiced in the municipalities of Alhandra, Caaporã, Coxixola and Pedras de Fogo. The study took as categories of analysis, the functions of planning, regulation, supervision, provision and social control, brought in Law 11457/07. For the development of the research, it was necessary an empirical study, with a predominantly qualitative approach, complemented by a quantitative approach. As a data collection instrument, semi-structured interviews, complementary form application and secondary data collection were used in the National Sanitation Information System (SNIS). Based on the results, it was verified that in each management model there are characteristics both related to the Planasa model and the new national law on basic sanitation. In municipalities served by the state sanitation company, planning, regulation, supervision and social control are incipient, with little exercise of municipal ownership. In the municipality served by municipal authority, a total coverage of water supply was verified, average rates lower than the state company, but with a considerable default, added to a still incipient municipal management in the management functions, and the lack of instances of participation and social control. In the municipality with water supply carried out by community management in rural areas, greater attention was paid to planning and social control, through the elaboration of the Municipal Sanitation Basic Plan and community action in management decisions. On the other hand, there was a need to improve the infrastructure of the supply system. Based on the study, it was possible to perceive important shortcomings and a need to change the current framework of basic sanitation management in small municipalities in the state of Paraíba. It is suggested to carry out studies that contemplate the users' perception of the services, as well as to extend the scope of analysis to management models with the provision of services performed by the direct public administration and by private companies.

The rise of transnational organized crime to the level of threat to international security has brought significant changes to States' strategies to combat the problem. Its diffuse and networked character, adapted to the new economic reality of the post-Cold War, requires the concatenation of state efforts to confront it, otherwise it will render fruitless any policy in this regard. Cooperation emerges as an important alternative to ensure more effective results. Brazil and Paraguay have a prominent role in the development of illegal transnational activities in the South American continent, and there is a dynamic of complementarity between supply and demand of illegal products and services. The border between both countries corresponds to the more traditional route of drug trafficking, arms trafficking and smuggling in South America, which is why Brazil and Paraguay have joined efforts to address the issue. This dissertation seeks to analyze how cooperation between Brazil and Paraguay develops to combat organized crime on the border between both countries. For this, a conceptual rescue of transnational organized crime is made, inserting the phenomenon in the perspective of transnational illicit markets, and its characterization in the Brazil-Paraguay border. Next, the institutional policies and the Brazilian public management in the theme are discussed. Finally, the initiatives undertaken in the border region, in terms of bilateral cooperation, in combating cross-border illicit activities, are observed from 1988 to 2017.

The present dissertation proposes to verify if the decisions of the National Health Council are effective, considering the decision-making effectiveness as the fulfillment of the resolutions and the incorporation of the deliberate topics in the governmental agenda. It also had as an scope to analyze and describe the decision-making performance of the council, considering the resolutions produced in the period 2007 to 2017 and unravel the mechanisms that influence the process of building of the governmental agenda, taking as unit resolutions on public policies. The theoretical-analytical perspectives considered retake the research agendas on the effectiveness of participation / participatory institutions and adopts some elements of the descriptive models of the literature on the construction of the governmental agenda. The approach used was qualitative, being a case study, constituting an exploratory and descriptive research. As a data collection instrument, a semi-structured interview with key actors and indirect documentation was used. The analyzes of the data generated were based on the evidences extracted from the documents and interpretation of the interviews, using the technique of content analysis. The results showed that the national health council has a low performance in terms of producing resolutions with a potential incidence on public policies. Most resolutions on SUS funding have not been complied with by the government. The theme of healthy eating to combat obesity, deliberete by the council, was incorporated into the government agenda. The mechanisms used were the construction of an intersectoral articulated network, the cooperative mobilization between civil society entities and entrepreneurs of policies working in the bureaucracy, the restructuring of institutions, the insertion of thematic in the participatory spaces, as well as the political qualification of the technical staff and the use of the political force of other organs linked to the Presidency of the Republic. The variables used to analyze the institutional dimension revealed that the design of the National Health Council was essential for the use of mechanisms and defining the strategies used by enterpreuners of policies.

Introduction: The presence of people living on the street (PSR in Portuguese) awakens in our society indifferent looks which marginalize and associate this public with violence. Sick of tuberculosis (TB) while living on the street greatly potentiates this segregation. Given that TB is a disease that is strongly marked by social exclusion and stigma. Dwelling in the street and being affected by this disease, there is a requirement for a (re)organization in ways of living and meaning of life due to the repercussions that the illness produce in the existence of the sick people and their social environment. Objective: To analyze the meanings and experiences of street dwellers in relation to tuberculosis in the street. Methodological approach: A qualitative study, developed in the city of João Pessoa, which involves five RSPs, affected by TB. To collect the data we used a field diary and a roadmap of in-depth interviews from February 2015 to March 2016. To break down the empirical material, a narrative analysis was used. After dividing the account into indexed and non-indexed propositions, we identify the individual trajectories and, after grouping them into categories, we elaborate the theoretical model. The project was approved by the Research Ethics Committee of the Health Sciences Center of the Federal University of Paraiba, according to CAAE 20446513.0.000.5188. Results: The categories indicate that the conditions in which this group is affected by TB is not conducive to adhere to the treatment of the disease and will continue to do so, because they prioritize the needs of power, freedom, use of alcohol and other drugs. And despite suffering from the symptoms of the disease, they do not recognize it as an aggravation that requires immediate treatment and risk of death. Final considerations: We suggest that there be an articulation of health areas with social, nutritional and psychosocial assistance to find ways to intervene, in a favorable way, in the main barriers pointed out by RSPs affected by TB, so that they may adhere to treatment and give continuity to it. For this, it is necessary to look at the singularities of this group.