Errors due to the tropospheric and ionospheric effects on the geographic location of data collection platforms

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Analysis of the feasibility of early hospital discharge after autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplantation and the implications to nursing care

Autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplantation is a conduct used to treat some hematologic diseases and to consolidate the treatment of others. In the field of nursing, the few published scientific studies on nursing care and early hospital discharge of transplant patients are deficient. Knowledge about the diseases treated using hematopoietic stem cell transplantation, providing guidance to patients and caregivers and patient monitoring are important nursing activities in this process. Guidance may contribute to long-term goals through patients' short-term needs. To analyze the results of early hospital discharge on the treatment of patients submitted to autologous transplantation and the influence of nursing care on this conduct. A retrospective, quantitative, descriptive and transversal study was conducted. The hospital records of 112 consecutive patients submitted to autologous transplantation in the period from January to December 2009 were revisited. Of these, 12 patients, who remained in hospital for more than ten days after transplantation, were excluded from the study. The medical records of 100 patients with a median age of 48.5 years (19-69 years) were analyzed. All patients were mobilized and hematopoietic stem cells were collected by leukapheresis. The most common conditioning regimes were BU12Mel100 and BEAM 400. Toxicity during conditioning was easily managed in the outpatient clinic. Gastrointestinal toxicity, mostly Grades I and II, was seen in 69% of the patients, 62% of patients had diarrhea, 61% of the patients had nausea and vomiting and 58% had Grade I and II mucositis. Ten patients required hospitalization due to the conditioning regimen. Febrile neutropenia was seen in 58% of patients. Two patients died before Day +60 due to infections, one with aplasia. The median times to granulocyte and platelet engraftment were 12 days and 15 days, respectively, with median red blood cell and platelet transfusions until discharge of three and four units, respectively. Twenty-three patients required rehospitalization before being discharged from the outpatient clinic. The median time to granulocyte engraftment was 12 days and during the aplasia phase few patients were hospitalized or suffered infections. The toxicity of the conditioning was the leading cause of rehospitalization. The nursing staff participated by providing guidance to patients and during the mobilization, transplant and outpatient follow-up phases, thus helping to successfully manage toxicity.

The influence of visual stimuli in ethnobotanical data collection using the listing task method

The listing task, a method used in social and behavioral sciences, is frequently used in ethnobotanical research to constructfolk taxonomies and select relevant itemsfor subsequent research. The objective of the present study was to determine whether visual stimuli are associated with responses to the theme plants or if context influences the answers. Interviews were conducted with 400 women in Rio Claro, São Paulo, Brazil, in four different locations: three with a visible presence of plants (a plant store, a supermarket, and a public plaza) and one with no plants (a street corner in the center of the city). The women were asked to name plants. Analysis indicates that visual stimuli influenced responses and that this is more marked in the plant store than in the other locations. The plants cited most often-roses, orchids, ferns, violets, and daisies-were, with little variation, the same in all the locales studied.

Crytallization and high-resolution X-ray diffraction data collection of an Asp49 PLA(2) from Bothrops jararacussu venom both in the presence and absence of Ca2+ ions

Snake venom PLA(2)s have been extensively studied due to their role in mediating and disrupting physiological processes such as coagulation, platelet aggregation and myotoxicity. The Ca2+ ion bound to the putative calcium-binding loop is essential for hydrolytic activity. We report the crystallization in the presence and absence of Ca2+ and X-ray diffraction data collection at 1.60 Angstrom (with Ca2+) and 1.36 Angstrom (without Ca2+) of an Asp49 PLA(2) from Bothrops jararacussu venom. The crystals belong to orthorhombic space group C222(1). Initial refinement and electron density analysis indicate significant conformational. changes upon Ca2+ binding. (C) 2004 Elsevier B.V. All fights reserved.

Evaluation of tropospheric and ionospheric effects on the geographic localization of data collection platforms

The Brazilian National Institute for Space Research (INPE) is operating the Brazilian Environmental Data Collection System that currently amounts to a user community of around 100 organizations and more than 700 data collection platforms installed in Brazil. This system uses the SCD-1, SCD-2, and CBERS-2 low Earth orbit satellites to accomplish the data collection services. The main system applications are hydrology, meteorology, oceanography, water quality, and others. One of the functionalities offered by this system is the geographic localization of the data collection platforms by using Doppler shifts and a batch estimator based on least-squares technique. There is a growing demand to improve the quality of the geographical location of data collection platforms for animal tracking. This work presents an evaluation of the ionospheric and tropospheric effects on the Brazilian Environmental Data Collection System transmitter geographic location. Some models of the ionosphere and troposphere are presented to simulate their impacts and to evaluate performance of the platform location algorithm. The results of the Doppler shift measurements, using the SCD-2 satellite and the data collection platform (DCP) located in Cuiabá town, are presented and discussed.

Mobile application as a tool for urban traffic data collection and generation to advanced traveler information systems using Wi-Fi networks available in urban centers

This paper presents an Advanced Traveler Information System (ATIS) developed on Android platform, which is open source and free. The developed application has as its main objective the free use of a Vehicle-to- Infrastructure (V2I) communication through the wireless network access points available in urban centers. In addition to providing the necessary information for an Intelligent Transportation System (ITS) to a central server, the application also receives the traffic data close to the vehicle. Once obtained this traffic information, the application displays them to the driver in a clear and efficient way, allowing the user to make decisions about his route in real time. The application was tested in a real environment and the results are presented in the article. In conclusion we present the benefits of this application. © 2012 IEEE.

Meaning of the Systematization of Nursing Care for nurse managers

OBJETIVO:Compreender o significado que os enfermeiros gerentes atribuem à sistematização da assistência de enfermagem, desenvolvido em seu cotidiano de trabalho.MÉTODOS:Método fenomenológico, referencial da estrutura do fenômeno situado. Os sujeitos foram treze enfermeiros, gerentes de um hospital universitário. A análise incluiu transcrição e leituras dos depoimentos visando a essência por meio da tematização, interpretação e a síntese do fenômeno.RESULTADOS:As categorias temáticas foram: recursos humanos na realização da sistematização da assistência de enfermagem; sua relevância para o trabalho do enfermeiro; dificuldades na sua implementação; capacitação para a sua realização.CONCLUSÃO:O significado que os enfermeiros gerentes atribuem à sistematização da assistência de enfermagem relacionam-se aos aspectos legais da prática profissional, ao trabalho em equipe, ao dimensionamento adequado de recursos humanos.

Data collection on bone density of mandibular alveolar bone on a Hounsfield scale of the dental apex of the cranial root of the first inferior molar in dogs using computed tomography at FMVZ-UNESP

The head is the most important and specialized region in the body because it contains a range of specialized organs and, because it has interconnections between specialized organs, there is a great overlap of images. Thus, computed tomography (CT) helps in diagnosing diseases in this region, such as oral conditions, as they provide millimetric slices or cuts and demonstrate the relationship between the various anatomical structures involved, in volume and depth. Within dentistry, CT helps in the identification of pathological processes such as infection, tumors, visualization of embedded teeth and bone bed. This study aimed to assess the density of the mandibular alveolar bone at a determined point to later predict how periodontal disease is involved in bone resorption. For this, we performed a blind retrospective study (n = 124) of the CT scan files of dog skulls at FMVZ-UNESP in order to determine the density of the jaw bone using a Hounsfield scale, in the region of the dental apex of the cranial root of the first molar tooth in dogs. The results obtained were evaluated using mean and standard deviation (27.28 +/- 9.53 HU) in order to predict the normal density of the mandibular alveolar bone in the studied region. Thus, this data analysis allows a more concise evaluation of bone resorption of mandibular alveolar bone and, therefore, provides an adequate surgical planning in cases of osteosynthesis given mainly by the presence of installed periodontal disease.

Use of music and play in pediatric nursing care in the hospital context

Objective. To identify and analyze scientific publications on the use of music and play in pediatric nursing care in the hospital context. Method. In this bibliographic study, papers were sought that were published in Portuguese or English between 2004 and 2009 and included the descriptors: hospitalized child, childhood, child recreation, nursing team, nursing, pediatric nursing, alternatives therapies, music, music therapy, play and playthings, play therapy, playing. For the review, the bibliographic databases used were MEDLINE, ScIELO and LILACS. Results. Seventeen publications were obtained, among which: 59% adopted a quantitative method; mainly nursing developed the activities (88%); per type of article, reviews on the theme and assessments of clinical changes associated with the use of music and play were frequent (59% and 18%, respectively); and the utility of this kind of therapies in nursing care is acknowledged (94%). Conclusion. Play and music are useful therapies that can be used in nursing care for pediatric patients.