Neste trabalho, foram estudados sólidos do tipo LaNi1-xCuxO3 (x = 0,0; 0,3 e 0,5), com estrutura perovskita, visando a desenvolver catalisadores destinados à produção de hidrogênio de alta pureza na reforma interna de células a combustível de óxido sólido (SOFC). Observou-se que as condições experimentais usadas na preparação favoreceram a incorporação quantitativa dos cátions ao precursor e a formação dos sólidos com estrutura perovskita. Esses materiais mostraram diferentes propriedades redutoras e a presença do cobre favoreceu a estabilidade da estrutura perovskita. As propriedades catalíticas das amostras obtidas foram avaliadas na reação de deslocamento de monóxido de carbono com vapor d'água (WGSR, water gas shift reaction), uma etapa importante de purificação do hidrogênio, no processo de reforma de hidrocarbonetos. Os resultados mostraram que os catalisadores são promissores para esta reação, apresentando atividade muito superior à de um catalisador comercial de óxido de ferro contendo cromo e cobre; isto foi atribuído à tendência das amostras em favorecer o mecanismo adsortivo, provavelmente decorrente de uma alta mobilidade dos oxigênios da rede cristalina. O valor mais elevado de atividade catalítica foi apresentado pela Amostra LaNi0,5Cu0,5O3, considerada o catalisador de melhor desempenho.

LaNi1-xCu xO3 (x = 0.0, 0.3 and 0.5) type solids with perovskite structure were studied in this work aiming to develop catalysts for the production of high pure hydrogen in the internal reforming of solid oxide fuel cells (SOFC). It was observed that the experimental conditions used for preparing the samples favored the quantitative incorporation of cations in the precursor and the formation of solids with perovskite structure. These materials showed different reducing properties and the copper presence favored the stability of the perovskite structure. The catalytic properties of the samples were evaluated in water gas shift reaction (WGSR), an important step for purifying hydrogen in the process of hydrocarbons reforming. The results showed that the catalysts are promising for the reaction, showing much higher activities than a iron oxide-based commercial catalyst containing chromium and copper; This was assigned to the tendency of the samples in favoring the adsorptive mechanism, probably due to a high mobility of oxygen in the crystalline lattice. The highest value of catalytic activity was shown by the LaNi0.5Cu0.5O3 sample, the catalyst with the best performance.

We analyzed the performance of 162 normal subjects, subdivided into groups according to age and schooling, in the oral comprehension tasks of the Boston Diagnostic Aphasia Examination translated and adapted to Brazilian Portuguese to obtain a profile of performance for the Brazilian population, as well as cut-off scores for each task, and to determine the best combination of tasks that distinguish normal from aphasic subjects, as a guide for clinicians. The normal subjects were compared to 69 aphasics. Age alone influenced the performance in the designation of actions (subjects above 70 years showing the worst performance); schooling alone influenced the comprehension of forms, colors and numbers (subjects with less than four years of education showing a poorer performance). Both age and schooling influenced the performance in Body Part Identification (BPI) and Complex Ideational Material (CIM) with mean values of 70.5 ± 3.3 (Word Discrimination, WD), 18.9 ± 1.4 (BPI), 14.7 ± 0.9 (Commands), and 10.3 ± 1.7 (CIM) for the whole sample; the cut-off scores obtained were 65 (WD), 17.5 (BPI), 14 (Commands), and 9.5 (CIM) for the whole sample. Logistic regression showed that the combination of BPI + Commands + CIM was the most efficient in differentiating normal subjects from aphasics, with 72.5% sensitivity and 97.6% specificity. However, for low-education subjects, BPI and Commands were sufficient for this differentiation (75.7% sensitivity and 84.7% specificity). The main contribution of this study was to provide reference values that are far more representative of our population to be used by health professionals in Brazil, taking into account cultural differences.