A Study on the Efficiency of Synbiotics for Prevention and Control of Diarrhoea in 21 Dogs Submitted to Radiotherapy

A synbiotic is a formulation containing both probiotics and prebiotics. This study aims to evaluate the effect of supplementation with a synbiotic containing Enterococcus faecium strain E1707 (NCIMB 10415) in preventing or controlling diarrhoea and other gastrointestinal signs in boarded canine radiotherapy patients. A double-blind, randomized, placebocontrolled clinical trial was carried out in 21 adult dogs undergoing radiotherapy and boarded for a duration period of 2 to 3 weeks to treat their cancers. Dogs were randomly divided between two groups: A and B, the synbiotic and placebo group, respectively. The content of the sachets was added to the food once daily. Faecal score was assessed daily, and dogs were also monitored for the development of diarrhoea and other gastrointestinal signs such as weight loss, reduced appetite and vomiting. The results from descriptive statistics seem to favour group B, however these findings were not validated with inferential statistics due to insufficient statistical sample power. Because of this, it is not possible to make conclusions about the benefits of synbiotic as supportive treatment for dogs undergoing radiotherapy. All results should be considered to be preliminary, until they are elucidated by further animal inclusion.

Os custos de desempenho ocultos no dia-a-dia de um restaurante

RESUMO: O desafio era mostrar aquilo que poucos vêem e ninguém mede, mas que pode ajudar a resolver muitos problemas no sector da restauração. Assim, o objectivo é identificar, analisar e mensurar os custos de desempenho ocultos no dia-a-dia de um restaurante. A síntese bibliográfica reflecte a pesquisa efectuada, visando um método que nos ajudasse a medir concretamente os disfuncionamentos que ocorrem nos desempenhos diários dos empregados de mesa de um restaurante. Descobrimos a abordagem socioeconómica de Henri Savall e o seu método de avaliação dos custos de desempenho ocultos. Explicitamos de seguida este método de Savall e apresentamos uma síntese da história do restaurante, com o intuito de mostrar que, desde o seu nascimento, o restaurante é muito mais do que um local onde vamos comer. Feito este caminho, apresentamos o restaurante de luxo que escolhemos e onde aplicámos o método de avaliação dos custos de desempenho ocultos com algumas alterações, pois originalmente este método foi desenvolvido e aplicado ao sector da Indústria. Terminamos com a explicação da forma como aplicámos o método e os respectivos resultados encontrados. Concluímos que a aplicação do método escolhido revela informações preciosas para a gestão e para a tomada de decisão e enfatiza a importância do trabalho efectuado pelos empregados de mesa no seu dia-a-dia. ABSTRACT: Our challenge was to show what few people see and nobody measures, but that can help to solve lots of problems in the restaurants line of business. Our objective is to identify, analyze and measure the performance hidden costs in the daily activity of a restaurant. The bibliography used reflects the researches made, searching for a method which would help us to measure in detail the dysfunctions which occur in the daily performance of the waiters in a restaurant. We discovered the socioeconomic approach of Henri Savall and its evaluation method of the performance hidden costs. Next, we explain Savall’s method and present a synthesis of the restaurant history with the aim to show that, since its birth, the restaurant is much more than the place where people go to eat. This path made, we present the luxury restaurant which was chosen and where we have applied the evaluation method of the performance hidden costs, with some minor changes, because originally this method was developed and applied in the Industry sector. We finalize this work with the explanation of the way how we applied the method and with the presentation of the results. We have concluded that the application of the chosen method of study reveals vital information for the management department and for the decision processes, and that it emphasizes the importance of the waiters in their daily work inside a restaurant.

O videoclipe victimless crime e as imagens nos videoclipes

RESUMO: No âmbito do Mestrado em Estudos Cinematográficos da Universidade Lusófona de Humanidades e Tecnologias, propôs-se a concretização de um Projecto-Tese na área do videoclipe. O projecto consiste na produção, realização e edição de um videoclipe. Victimless Crime é o nome da música, criada durante o ano de 2009 e lançada em Maio de 2010, da banda pop lisboeta Soulbizness. O resultado é um videoclipe com a duração de três minutos e vinte e seis segundos, que entende a possibilidade de uma utilização real. Na componente teórica procede-se ao estudo do videoclipe enquanto formato audiovisual e suas especificidades. Segue-se a análise de Victimless Crime, através do Modelo de Análise proposto por Francisco J. G. Tarín, assente em três vectores essenciais: Análise Textual; Análise de Recursos Expressivos e Narrativos; e Interpretação. ABSTRACT: Within the scope of the MFA in Cinematography at the Universidade Lusófona de Humanidades e Tecnologias, a thesis project was proposed in the field of music video. The project consists of producing, directing and editing a music video for the song Victimless Crime, created in 2009 and released in May 2010 by the Lisbon-based pop band Soulbizness. The result is a three minute, twenty-three second music video, complete and ready to be released. The project also includes a theoretical component, consisting of a general review of the music video as an audiovisual format and its characteristics, followed by an analysis of Victimless Crime, as per the Analysis Model proposed by Francisco J. G. Tarín, which is based on three main topics: Textual Analysis; Narrative Analysis and Expressive Language Analysis; and Interpretation.