Development and use of a multiplex real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction assay for detection and differentiation of Porcine circovirus-2 genotypes 2a and 2b in an epidemiological survey.

By the end of 2004, the Canadian swine population had experienced a severe 2 increase in the incidence of Porcine circovirus-associated disease (PCVAD), a problem that was 3 associated with the emergence of a new Porcine circovirus-2 genotype (PCV-2b), previously 4 unrecovered in North America. Thus it became important to develop a diagnostic tool that could 5 differentiate between the old and new circulating genotypes (PCV-2a and -2b, respectively). 6 Consequently, a multiplex real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (mrtqPCR) assay that 7 could sensitively and specifically identify and differentiate PCV-2 genotypes was developed. A 8 retrospective epidemiological survey that used the mrtqPCR assay was performed to determine if 9 cofactors could affect the risk of PCVAD. From 121 PCV-2–positive cases gathered for this 10 study, 4.13%, 92.56% and 3.31% were positive for PCV-2a, PCV-2b, and both genotypes, 11 respectively. In a data analysis using univariate logistic regressions, PCVAD compatible 12 (PCVAD/c) score was significantly associated with the presence of Porcine reproductive and 13 respiratory syndrome virus (PRRSV), PRRSV viral load, PCV-2 viral load, and PCV-2 14 immunohistochemistry (IHC) results. Polytomous logistic regression analysis revealed that 15 PCVAD/c score was affected by PCV-2 viral load (P = 0.0161) and IHC (P = 0.0128), but not by 16 the PRRSV variables (P > 0.9); suggesting that mrtqPCR in tissue is a reliable alternative to IHC. 17 Logistic regression analyses revealed that PCV-2 increased the odds ratio of isolating 2 major 18 swine pathogens of the respiratory tract, Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae and Streptococcus 19 suis serotypes 1/2, 1, 2, 3, 4, and 7, which are serotypes commonly associated with clinical 20 diseases.

QoS online routing and MPLS multilevel protection: a survey

A survey of MPLS protection methods and their utilization in combination with online routing methods is presented in this article. Usually, fault management methods pre-establish backup paths to recover traffic after a failure. In addition, MPLS allows the creation of different backup types, and hence MPLS is a suitable method to support traffic-engineered networks. In this article, an introduction of several label switch path backup types and their pros and cons are pointed out. The creation of an LSP involves a routing phase, which should include QoS aspects. In a similar way, to achieve a reliable network the LSP backups must also be routed by a QoS routing method. When LSP creation requests arrive one by one (a dynamic network scenario), online routing methods are applied. The relationship between MPLS fault management and QoS online routing methods is unavoidable, in particular during the creation of LSP backups. Both aspects are discussed in this article. Several ideas on how these actual technologies could be applied together are presented and compared

Construindo lealdade online: a renda do consumidor faz diferença?

O varejo online vem apresentando volumes cada vez maiores em vendas. Esse volume de negócios em crescimento, transacionados em ambiente virtual, apresenta maior desafio à fidelização do seu consumo em relação aos apresentados nas transações realizadas em lojas físicas. No Brasil, os propulsores do crescimento do varejo online estão, principalmente, entre os consumidores pertencentes à baixa renda, mais conhecida como classe C, mas pouco se conhece a respeito desse segmento no varejo online. Essa pesquisa se propôs a avaliar o fenômeno de e-Lealdade, com consumidores brasileiros de ambos os estratos de renda (superior e inferior), em duas etapas: qualitativa exploratória e quantitativa. Na etapa exploratória da pesquisa foram entrevistados 16 consumidores e foi realizada análise de conteúdo. Na etapa quantitativa foram avaliados dados coletados de 1.020 consumidores, via websurvey, e analisados com o emprego de equações estruturais (estimador de máxima verossimilhança). A investigação foi norteada pela identificação, através de revisão de literatura, do que se denominou “modelo Clássico de e-Lealdade”. Nesse modelo, a e-Lealdade é construída pela relação entre as dimensões de e-Qualidade, e-Satisfação e e-Confiança. Essa pesquisa se propôs a avaliar essas relações, no mercado brasileiro, entre diferentes estratos de renda dos consumidores. Esse objetivo foi motivado pelo crescimento da participação de consumidores pertencentes à classe C no comércio on-line brasileiro, além de indícios de comportamento distinto entre os estratos. Entre os principais resultados, verificou-se que consumidores pertencentes a estratos superiores de renda valorizam mais a qualidade da informação do website, ao passo que consumidores de estratos de renda inferiores ressaltam a importância da garantia de entrega. Tanto para consumidores do estrato superior quanto para o inferior, a e-Satisfação tem peso muito maior do que a e-Confiança na determinação da e-Lealdade. Esse destaque da importância da e-Satisfação (em relação à e-Confiança) é ainda mais acentuado no segmento inferior de renda. Apesar do seu menor peso, a relevância da e-Confiança é maior no segmento superior do que no inferior. Tais diferenças atestaram a moderação da variável renda nas relações definidoras de e-Lealdade, esperando ter contribuído para o estudo do fenômeno.

A quantitative and qualitative evaluation of reports of clinical trials published in six Brazilian dental journals indexed in the Scientific Electronic Library Online (SciELO)

Introduction: Open access publishing is becoming increasingly popular within the biomedical sciences. SciELO, the Scientific Electronic Library Online, is a digital library covering a selected collection of Brazilian scientific journals many of which provide open access to full-text articles. This library includes a number of dental journals some of which may include reports of clinical trials in English, Portuguese and/or Spanish. Thus, SciELO could play an important role as a source of evidence for dental healthcare interventions especially if it yields a sizeable number of high quality reports. Objective: The aim of this study was to identify reports of clinical trials by handsearching of dental journals that are accessible through SciELO, and to assess the overall quality of these reports. Material and methods: Electronic versions of six Brazilian dental Journals indexed in SciELO were handsearched at www.scielo.br in September 2008. Reports of clinical trials were identified and classified as controlled clinical trials (CCTs - prospective, experimental studies comparing 2 or more healthcare interventions in human beings) or randomized controlled trials (RCTs - a random allocation method is clearly reported), according to Cochrane eligibility criteria. Criteria to assess methodological quality included: method of randomization, concealment of treatment allocation, blinded outcome assessment, handling of withdrawals and losses and whether an intention-to-treat analysis had been carried out. Results: The search retrieved 33 CCTs and 43 RCTs. A majority of the reports provided no description of either the method of randomization (75.3%) or concealment of the allocation sequence (84.2%). Participants and outcome assessors were reported as blinded in only 31.2% of the reports. Withdrawals and losses were only clearly described in 6.5% of the reports and none mentioned an intention-to-treat analysis or any similar procedure. Conclusions: The results of this study indicate that a substantial number of reports of trials and systematic reviews are available in the dental journals listed in SciELO, and that these could provide valuable evidence for clinical decision making. However, it is clear that the quality of a number of these reports is of some concern and that improvement in the conduct and reporting of these trials could be achieved if authors adhered to internationally accepted guidelines, e. g. the CONSORT statement.

Estratégias de cortesia em língua espanhola: estudo de caso em fórum online com participantes brasileiros

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

Factors Underlying the Formation of Industrial Clusters in Japan and Industrial Cluster Policy: A Quantitative Survey

The purpose of this report is to use information provided by a questionnaire survey to analyze the factors and processes underlying the formation of industrial clusters in Japan. The study, based on questionnaire surveys, forms part of an "Industrial Cluster Project". The Japanese government has implemented policies for industrial clusters so as to enable Japanese industries to maintain competitive power in global markets, and to aid the self-sufficient expansion of local industries. The government's project goes under the heading "Industry Agglomeration for the Recovery of Local Industries with respect to so-called "Industry Clusters." The authors aim to identify what expectations are held of government by the enterprises that make up industrial clusters. As part of our investigation, we used the results of a survey conducted by UNDP in 2004. Tsuji's study, published by the Osaka School of International Public Policy, surveyed 1198 small or medium sized manufacturing companies located in O ward, Tokyo and Higashi Osaka city, Osaka prefecture. The outcome of the present study, together with data from Tsuji's work on IT usage by SMEs in Japan, is meant to form the basis for policy design and implementation.

A Quantitative Exploration of Social Networks: Verifying the Legitimacy and Equitability of Social Networks in Recruiting

In this digital age organizations must focus on connecting with candidates and aspire for innovation in recruiting practices to remain competitive. This author investigated social networking to determine whether or not it provides reliable candidate information when recruiting for hire. Online media such as LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter and MySpace, have become an integrated part of social and professional lives. Analysis of social networking revealed use for recruiting but posed challenges and advantages for organizations. A quantitative cross-sectional survey of social network members (N=136) indicated discrepancy in generational use of social networks and concerns regarding the validity and reliability of candidate information. Social networking promotes innovation in recruiting, however, by itself might not endorse equitability, validity and reliability.

Global variations and time trends in the prevalence of childhood myopia, a systematic review and quantitative meta-analysis:implications for aetiology and early prevention

The aim of this review was to quantify the global variation in childhood myopia prevalence over time taking account of demographic and study design factors. A systematic review identified population-based surveys with estimates of childhood myopia prevalence published by February 2015. Multilevel binomial logistic regression of log odds of myopia was used to examine the association with age, gender, urban versus rural setting and survey year, among populations of different ethnic origins, adjusting for study design factors. 143 published articles (42 countries, 374 349 subjects aged 1- 18 years, 74 847 myopia cases) were included. Increase in myopia prevalence with age varied by ethnicity. East Asians showed the highest prevalence, reaching 69% (95% credible intervals (CrI) 61% to 77%) at 15 years of age (86% among Singaporean-Chinese). Blacks in Africa had the lowest prevalence; 5.5% at 15 years (95% CrI 3% to 9%). Time trends in myopia prevalence over the last decade were small in whites, increased by 23% in East Asians, with a weaker increase among South Asians. Children from urban environments have 2.6 times the odds of myopia compared with those from rural environments. In whites and East Asians sex differences emerge at about 9 years of age; by late adolescence girls are twice as likely as boys to be myopic. Marked ethnic differences in age-specific prevalence of myopia exist. Rapid increases in myopia prevalence over time, particularly in East Asians, combined with a universally higher risk of myopia in urban settings, suggest that environmental factors play an important role in myopia development, which may offer scope for prevention.

Online information seeking by patients with bipolar disorder:results from an international multisite survey

Background: Information seeking is an important coping mechanism for dealing with chronic illness. Despite a growing number of mental health websites, there is little understanding of how patients with bipolar disorder use the Internet to seek information. Methods: A 39 question, paper-based, anonymous survey, translated into 12 languages, was completed by 1222 patients in 17 countries as a convenience sample between March 2014 and January 2016. All patients had a diagnosis of bipolar disorder from a psychiatrist. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and generalized estimating equations to account for correlated data. Results: 976 (81 % of 1212 valid responses) of the patients used the Internet, and of these 750 (77 %) looked for information on bipolar disorder. When looking online for information, 89 % used a computer rather than a smartphone, and 79 % started with a general search engine. The primary reasons for searching were drug side effects (51 %), to learn anonymously (43 %), and for help coping (39 %). About 1/3 rated their search skills as expert, and 2/3 as basic or intermediate. 59 % preferred a website on mental illness and 33 % preferred Wikipedia. Only 20 % read or participated in online support groups. Most patients (62 %) searched a couple times a year. Online information seeking helped about 2/3 to cope (41 % of the entire sample). About 2/3 did not discuss Internet findings with their doctor. Conclusion: Online information seeking helps many patients to cope although alternative information sources remain important. Most patients do not discuss Internet findings with their doctor, and concern remains about the quality of online information especially related to prescription drugs. Patients may not rate search skills accurately, and may not understand limitations of online privacy. More patient education about online information searching is needed and physicians should recommend a few high quality websites.

REASONS BEHIND THE USAGE OF ONLINE AD BLOCKING TOOLS

Online advertising has been growing rapidly since the mid-90s. In recent years, online advertising has become as relevant as an advertising medium as print and television are. However, despite the growth, the generally held consensus is that consumers are not interested in online advertisements. The arrival of online ad blocking tools has offered consumers a very effective way to avoid and block online advertisements. Although these tools have now been around for several years and the most popular software’s have hundreds of millions of active users, the phenomenon of ad blocking has gathered surprisingly little attention from academic marketing research. For this reason, ad blocking was chosen as the topic of this thesis study. The researcher was particularly interested in the reasons behind the usage of online ad blocking tools. The object of the empirical part of this study is to provide new and valid information regarding the reasons behind the usage of online ad blocking tools. The empirical research of this study consisted of a survey study that mixed both quantitative and qualitative elements. Although the sample size of the study was fairly limited, the study provided useful answers to individual research questions and provided new knowledge regarding the reasons behind the usage of online ad blocking and the phenomenon of ad blocking as a whole. The study provides further evidence that consumers are aware of online ad blocking tools and a significant portion of them are interested in using them. This study indicates that many of the consumers who do not have previous knowledge of these tools would actually be interested in them. The reason for the usage of online ad blocking tools varies from institutional reasons to instrumental reason, such as poor quality of the online advertisements. However, there were participants who were not interested in the usage of online ad blocking tools, and some of them reported to find online advertising useful. There also seems to be a concern among some consumers that online ad blocking will have a negative effect on online content in the future if the ad blocking will keep growing as a phenomenon. This certainly can be the case, and it is very interesting to see how the development of online ad blocking will shape the online advertising, how the advertising industry will respond to the growth of online ad blocking and how will the consumers respond to these changes.

Survey of quantitative antimicrobial consumption per production stage in farrow-to-finish pig farms in Spain

Objectives: To characterise antimicrobial use (AMU) per production stage in terms of drugs, routes of application, indications, duration and exposed animals in farrow-to-finish pig farms in Spain. Design: Survey using a questionnaire on AMU during the six months prior to the interview, administered in face-to-face interviews completed from April to October 2010. Participants: 108 potentially eligible farms covering all the country were selected using a multistage sampling methodology; of these, 33 were excluded because they did not fulfil the participation criteria and 49 were surveyed. Results: The rank of the most used antimicrobials per farm and production stage and administration route started with polymyxins (colistin) by feed during the growing and the preweaning phases, followed by β-lactams by feed during the growing and the preweaning phases and by injection during the preweaning phase. Conclusions: The study demonstrates that the growing stage (from weaning to the start of finishing) has the highest AMU according to different quantitative indicators (number of records, number of antimicrobials used, percentage of farms reporting use, relative number of exposed animals per farm and duration of exposure); feed is the administration route that produces the highest antimicrobial exposure based on the higher number of exposed animals and the longer duration of treatment; and there are large differences in AMU among individual pig farms.

Serological survey of Rickettsia sp. in horses and dogs in an non-endemic area in Brazil

Brazilian Spotted Fever (BSF) is a lethal rickettsiosis in humans caused by the bacteria Rickettsia rickettsii, and is endemic in some areas of Brazil. Horses and dogs are part of the disease's life cycle and they may also serve as sentinel animals in epidemiological studies. The first human BSF case in the State of Paraná was reported in 2005. The present study was conducted in the municipality of Almirante Tamandaré, where no previous case of BSF was reported. Serum samples were collected from 71 horses and 20 dogs from nine properties in the area. Ticks were also collected from these animals. All farmers completed a questionnaire about their knowledge of BSF and animal health management. Serum samples were analyzed by indirect immunofluorescent-antibody assay (IFA) using R. rickettsii and R. parkeri as antigens. Ticks were analyzed by PCR for Rickettsia sp., and all of them were PCR-negative. Six horses (8.45%) and 4 dogs (20%) were identified as seropositive. Farmers were not aware of the correlation between the presence of ticks and risk of BSF. Although a non-endemic area, Almirante Tamandaré is a vulnerable environment for BSF and effective tick control measures are required.

Dietary trends: Estimates from food supply and survey data

Objective: To illustrate methodological issues involved in estimating dietary trends in populations using data obtained from various sources in Australia in the 1980s and 1990s. Methods: Estimates of absolute and relative change in consumption of selected food items were calculated using national data published annually on the national food supply for 1982-83 to 1992-93 and responses to food frequency questions in two population based risk factor surveys in 1983 and 1994 in the Hunter Region of New South Wales, Australia. The validity of estimated food quantities obtained from these inexpensive sources at the beginning of the period was assessed by comparison with data from a national dietary survey conducted in 1983 using 24 h recall. Results: Trend estimates from the food supply data and risk factor survey data were in good agreement for increases in consumption of fresh fruit, vegetables and breakfast food and decreases in butter, margarine, sugar and alcohol. Estimates for trends in milk, eggs and bread consumption, however, were inconsistent. Conclusions: Both data sources can be used for monitoring progress towards national nutrition goals based on selected food items provided that some limitations are recognized. While data collection methods should be consistent over time they also need to allow for changes in the food supply (for example the introduction of new varieties such as low-fat dairy products). From time to time the trends derived from these inexpensive data sources should be compared with data derived from more detailed and quantitative estimates of dietary intake.

Avaliação da qualidade dos serviços prestados pela Biblioteca Central da UFES utilizando o método Servqual

O presente trabalho objetiva avaliar a qualidade dos serviços prestados pela Biblioteca Central (BC) da Universidade Federal do Espírito Santo (UFES) utilizando o método Servqual. Esta pesquisa é um estudo de caso de natureza quantitativa e qualitativa. A triangulação dos dados foi realizada por meio de uma survey com 363 usuários, entrevista com nove servidores que atuam na Biblioteca e consulta a documentos da universidade que descrevem as características básicas da Biblioteca Central. A survey foi aplicada utilizando-se questionário desenvolvido com base na escala Servqual em pré-teste realizado na Biblioteca Setorial Tecnológica (BST) da UFES. Foram utilizadas duas modalidades de coleta na survey aplicada na BC: presencial e online. Foram coletados 110 questionários presenciais e 253 online. As entrevistas com os servidores da BC foram baseadas nos 116 registros de reivindicações dos usuários, coletados pela BC anteriormente à pesquisa. Além desses documentos, consultaramse informações institucionais divulgadas no catálogo de serviços da BC e em páginas da BC e da UFES na internet. Identificaram-se quatro dimensões da qualidade dos serviços prestados pela BC, com médias negativas, indicando necessidade de melhoria nos serviços prestados. As ações prioritárias recomendadas para a BC são: a) melhorar instalações físicas e equipamentos; e b) capacitar e motivar os trabalhadores para atendimento aos usuários. Essas ações devem conduzir a soluções de problemas relacionados a condições de estudo (iluminação, climatização, água, banheiros, espaço físico, móveis e silêncio) e acesso a informação (internet, autoempréstimo, quantitativo de exemplares, limitação do empréstimo e alerta quanto à data de renovação).

Participatory Online Platforms and the Construction of Citizen’s Autonomy in Health Issues

The goal of the present study is mapping the nature of possible contributions of participatory online platforms in citizen actions that may contribute in the fight against cancer and its associated consequences. The research is based on the analysis of online solidarity networks, namely the ones residing on Facebook and the blogosphere, that citizens have been gradually resorting to. The research is also based on the development of newer and more efficient solutions that provide the individual (directly or indirectly affected by issues of oncology) with the means to overcome feelings of impotence and fatality. In this chapter, the authors summarize the processes of usage of these decentralized, freer participatory platforms by citizens and institutions, while attempting to unravel existing hype and stigma; the authors also provide a first survey of the importance and the role of institutions in this kind of endeavor; lastly, they present a prototype, developed in the context of the present study that is specifically dedicated to addressing oncology through social media.