Comparative Analysis between Chamomilla recutita and Corticosteroids on Wound Healing. An In Vitro and In Vivo Study

The comparison of chamomile and corticosteroids for treating ulcers was done in vitro and in vivo. The experimental groups were: control; chamomile recutita; triamcinolone acetonide and clobetasol propionate. For the in vitro study the cell viability of fibroblasts cultured for 24 h in media conditioned by the substances was obtained by the MITT reduction analysis. For the in vivo study, 125 male rats were submitted to experimental ulcers treated or not (control) by the substances tested. At 1, 3, 5, 7 and 14 days later 5 animals of each group were sacrificed. The lesions were analyzed by means of clinical observation and histological wound-healing grading. Data were compared by ANOVA (p <= 0.05). All experimental groups presented positive cell viability in 24 h. The cultures treated with chamomile presented the smallest cell viability. All animals of the chamomile group exhibited complete wound healing 9 days before the other groups. Complete repaired lesions were observed after 5 days of treatment only in the chamomile group. Animals treated with chamomile presented significantly faster wound healing in comparison to those treated with corticosteroids. Based on the conditions of this study, we concluded that chamomile in comparison to corticosteroids promotes faster wound healing process. Copyright (C) 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Comparative histomorphometric and tomographic analysis of maxillary sinus floor augmentation in rabbits using autografts and xenografts

Our goal was to evaluate bone neoformation promoted by a bovine xenograft composite (XC) compared with autogenous graft for maxillary sinus augmentation in a rabbit model. The left maxillary sinus of 18 male rabbits was filled with 200 mg of cortical and cancellous autogenous bone and the right sinus was filled with 200 mg of a composite comprised organic and inorganic bovine matrices, pool of bBMPs and collagen. Postoperative implant intervals of 2, 4, and 8 weeks were analyzed. Differences in the bone optical density among the groups and experimental periods were evaluated by computed tomography analysis. The tissue response was evaluated by histomorphometric analysis of the newly formed bone, connective tissue and/or granulation tissue, residual material, and bone marrow. The tomographic analyses showed a maximum optical density in the 4-week period for both groups. Histologically, an inflammatory infiltrate was observed at 2 weeks in the XC group but exclusively around the organic particles of the biomaterial. Regarding to the amount of newly formed bone, no statistical differences (p > 0.05) were observed among the two treatments throughout the implant intervals. However, by the end of the 8 weeks, the quantity of bone marrow was two times greater (p < 0.05) in the control group than in the XC group. In conclusion, the xenograft composite promotes formation of new bone in a similar fashion to autogenous bone and could therefore be considered a biomaterial with potential applications as a bone substitute in maxillary sinus floor augmentation. (C) 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Cultural aspects of classroom effectiveness: Overseas-educated students in Australian classrooms

Teachers who are new to the country often find themselves as 'the stranger' in their own classroom. Languages education is one area where such overseas-educated teachers are common. The study reported here investigated what cultural factors might influence the classroom performance of such teachers. The early classroom experience of beginning Japanese native speaker teachers and trainees was examined to this end.

The effectiveness of splinting as perceived by the parents of children with Juvenile Ideopathic Arthritis

Juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) is an important disease of childhood with farreaching effects on the child and family. Splinting is a major treatment modality used by occupational therapists for children with JIA. Parents play a central role in whether, when and how splints are used with their children on a daily basis. This paper describes a qualitative research project, which was undertaken to evaluate an occupational therapy service for children with JIA whose treatment had involved splinting. Using semi-structured interviews, the study investigated five mothers' perceptions of the effectiveness of splinting for their children. The interviews revealed five major points. First, the informants generally believed the splinting to be effective. Secondly, the children involved generally resisted wearing splints because they were physically uncomfortable and made them feel different to other children. Thirdly, the mothers used a variety of strategies to ensure that their children wore the splints. Fourthly, the perception of having a positive and supportive relationship with the therapist enhanced the mothers' ability to adhere to splinting. Lastly, the mothers' grief at having a child with JIA influenced their ability to understand and attend to information about specific interventions such as splinting. Practical responses to these findings are outlined.

Research into telehealth applications in speech-language pathology

A literature review was conducted to investigate the extent to which telehealth has been researched within the domain of speech-language pathology and the outcomes of this research. A total of 13 studies were identified. Three early studies demonstrated that telehealth was feasible, although there was no discussion of the cost-effectiveness of this process in terms of patient outcomes. The majority of the subsequent studies indicated positive or encouraging outcomes resulting from telehealth. However, there were a number of shortcomings in the research, including a lack of cost-benefit information, failure to evaluate the technology itself, an absence of studies of the educational and informational aspects of telehealth in relation to speech-language pathology, and the use of telehealth in a limited range of communication disorders. Future research into the application of telehealth to speech-language pathology services must adopt a scientific approach, and have a well defined development and evaluation framework that addresses the effectiveness of the technique, patient outcomes and satisfaction, and the cost-benefit relationship.

A comparative analysis of the behaviour of domestic and international young tourists

This paper provides a comparative analysis of the behaviour of young, single, British international and domestic tourists during their holidays. The research was located in Torquay, on the Southwest coast of England, and Cala Millor, on the Northeast of Mallorca. These locations represent two of the most popular destinations for young British tourists on domestic and international vacations, respectively. The findings of this research suggest that young, single, British tourists on domestic vacations behave in a different manner compared to those holidaying at the international level. Indeed, compared to domestic tourists, young people on international vacations tended to behave in a more passive and hedonistic manner. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.

Comparative analysis between statistical and artificial intelligence models in business failure prediction

A growing number of predicting corporate failure models has emerged since 60s. Economic and social consequences of business failure can be dramatic, thus it is not surprise that the issue has been of growing interest in academic research as well as in business context. The main purpose of this study is to compare the predictive ability of five developed models based on three statistical techniques (Discriminant Analysis, Logit and Probit) and two models based on Artificial Intelligence (Neural Networks and Rough Sets). The five models were employed to a dataset of 420 non-bankrupt firms and 125 bankrupt firms belonging to the textile and clothing industry, over the period 2003–09. Results show that all the models performed well, with an overall correct classification level higher than 90%, and a type II error always less than 2%. The type I error increases as we move away from the year prior to failure. Our models contribute to the discussion of corporate financial distress causes. Moreover it can be used to assist decisions of creditors, investors and auditors. Additionally, this research can be of great contribution to devisers of national economic policies that aim to reduce industrial unemployment.

Comparative Analysis between Statistical and Artificial Intelligence Models in Business Failure Prediction

A growing number of predicting corporate failure models has emerged since 60s. Economic and social consequences of business failure can be dramatic, thus it is not surprise that the issue has been of growing interest in academic research as well as in business context. The main purpose of this study is to compare the predictive ability of five developed models based on three statistical techniques (Discriminant Analysis, Logit and Probit) and two models based on Artificial Intelligence (Neural Networks and Rough Sets). The five models were employed to a dataset of 420 non-bankrupt firms and 125 bankrupt firms belonging to the textile and clothing industry, over the period 2003–09. Results show that all the models performed well, with an overall correct classification level higher than 90%, and a type II error always less than 2%. The type I error increases as we move away from the year prior to failure. Our models contribute to the discussion of corporate financial distress causes. Moreover it can be used to assist decisions of creditors, investors and auditors. Additionally, this research can be of great contribution to devisers of national economic policies that aim to reduce industrial unemployment.

Methodology for the Comparative Analysis of Sustainable Evaluation of LUDA

LUDA is a research project of Key Action 4 "City of Tomorrow & Cultural Heritage" of the programme "Energy, Environment and Sustainable Development" within the Fifth Framework Programme of the European Commission

Are public officials really less satisfied than private sector workers?A comparative study in Brazil

This research aims to compare the public and private sectors with regard to satisfaction at work. We conducted a survey with 670 professionals from both sectors in Brazil. The results of variance analysis confirm previous researches indicating that public officials are less satisfied with their work than private sector workers. However, this result does not repeat when we evaluate the satisfaction dimensions. For instance, public officials reported being more satisfied than private sector workers with regard to social environment and work stability. Unexpectedly, the results suggest that there is no difference between these sectors when we analyze the satisfaction with supervision. Therefore, this article is relevant for Brazilian managers, by offering an empirical research on the distinction between public and private. The article also discusses the theoretical implications, since Brazilian findings do not completely support the international literature.

Optimization techniques for power distribution planning with uncertainties: a comparative study

Important research effort has been devoted to the topic of optimal planning of distribution systems. The non linear nature of the system, the need to consider a large number of scenarios and the increasing necessity to deal with uncertainties make optimal planning in distribution systems a difficult task. Heuristic techniques approaches have been proposed to deal with these issues, overcoming some of the inherent difficulties of classic methodologies. This paper considers several methodologies used to address planning problems of electrical power distribution networks, namely mixedinteger linear programming (MILP), ant colony algorithms (AC), genetic algorithms (GA), tabu search (TS), branch exchange (BE), simulated annealing (SA) and the Bender´s decomposition deterministic non-linear optimization technique (BD). Adequacy of theses techniques to deal with uncertainties is discussed. The behaviour of each optimization technique is compared from the point of view of the obtained solution and of the methodology performance. The paper presents results of the application of these optimization techniques to a real case of a 10-kV electrical distribution system with 201 nodes that feeds an urban area.

European information users: topics from a comparative analysis within the European Union

Purpose – The aim of this article is to present some results from research undertaken into the information behaviour of European Documentation Centre (EDC) users. It will reflect on the practices of a group of 234 users of 55 EDCs covering 21 Member States of the European Union (EU), used to access European information. Design/methodology/approach – In order to collect the data presented here, five questionnaires were sent to users in all the EDCs in Finland, Ireland, Hungary and Portugal. In the remaining EU countries, five questionnaires were sent to two EDCs chosen at random. The questionnaires were sent by post, following telephone contact with the EDC managers. Findings – Factors determining access to information on the European Union and the frequency of this access are identified. The information providers most commonly used to access European information and the information sources considered the most reliable by respondents will also be analysed. Another area of analysis concerns the factors cited by respondents as facilitating access to information on Europe or, conversely, making it more difficult to access. Parallel to this, the aspects of accessing information on EU that are valued most by users will also be assessed. Research limitations/implications – Questionnaires had to be used, as the intention was to cover a very extensive geographical area. However, in opting for closed questions, it is acknowledged that standard responses have been obtained with no scope for capturing the individual circumstances of each respondent, thus making a qualitative approach difficult. Practical implications – The results provide an overall picture of certain aspects of the information behaviour of EDC users. They may serve as a starting point for planning training sessions designed to develop the skills required to search, access, evaluate and apply European information within an academic context. From a broader perspective, they also constitute factors which the European Commission should take into consideration when formulating its information and communication policy. Originality/value – This is the first piece of academic research into the EDCs and their users, which aimed to cover all Members State of the EU.

Multimedia fate modeling and comparative impact on freshwater ecosystems of pharmaceuticals from biosolids-amended soils

This study modeled the impact on freshwater ecosystems of pharmaceuticals detected in biosolids following application on agricultural soils. The detected sulfonamides and hydrochlorothiazide displayed comparatively moderate retention in solid matrices and, therefore, higher transfer fractions from biosolids to the freshwater compartment. However, the residence times of these pharmaceuticals in freshwater were estimated to be short due to abiotic degradation processes. The non-steroidal anti-inflammatory mefenamic acid had the highest environmental impact on aquatic ecosystems and warrants further investigation. The estimation of the solid-water partitioning coefficient was generally the most influential parameter of the probabilistic comparative impact assessment. These results and the modeling approach used in this study serve to prioritize pharmaceuticals in the research effort to assess the risks and the environmental impacts on aquatic biota of these emerging pollutants.