Controlling ore dilution in underground mining is challenging. In this study, data from a Brazilian gold mine were analyzed, covering 70 chambers and 26 variables. Six key variables were identified through decision tree analysis, forming the basis of a predictive model using advanced soft computing techniques.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThis article presents a study of the impacts caused by Fundão dam failure in buildings from Gesteira district, Barra Longa city, Brazil. The analyzed dataset was built using technical reports from surveys carried out in 152 buildings. Principal component analysis was capable of explain the interdependence of data variable and allowed conditions of understand the consequences and evidenced pathologies.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPrice of iron ore is affected by instabilities of microeconomic balance between supply and demand. Periods of equilibrium adjustment result in huge swings, growth or global recession. They also impact the viability of mineral enterprises and generate consequences to important global economic scenarios.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFInt Immunopharmacol
December 2018
Immunosuppressive drugs are widely used for the treatment of immune-mediated diseases and inflammation, but the toxicity and side effects of the available immunosuppressors make the search of new agents of great relevance. Here, we evaluated the immunomodulatory activity of an N-acylhydrazone derivative, (E)-N'-(3,4-dimethoxybenzylidene)-4-methoxybenzohydrazide (LASSBio-1386), a phosphodiesterase-4 (PDE-4) inhibitor. LASSBio-1386 inhibited lymphocyte activation in a concentration-dependent fashion, decreasing lymphoproliferation and IFN-γ and IL-2 production stimulated by anti-CD3/CD28 mAbs or concanavalin A (Con A) and inducing cell-cycle arrest in the G0/G1 phase.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBetulinic acid (BA) is a naturally occurring triterpenoid with several biological properties already described, including immunomodulatory activity. Here we investigated the immunomodulatory activity of eight semi-synthetic amide derivatives of betulinic acid. Screening of derivatives BA1-BA8 led to the identification of compounds with superior immunomodulatory activity than BA on activated macrophages and lymphocytes.
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