Physical-chemical characterization and wet milling yield of four maize hybrids

The influence of physical-chemical characteristics of maize grains and lactic acid concentrations on byproduct yields, generated by conventional wet milling, was studied during steeping, for four maize hybrids and two lactic acid concentrations (0.55 and 1.00%). For physical-chemical characterization, grain dimensions (length, thickness, and width) were determined, as well as mass of 100 grains, percentage of floating grains, volumetric mass, and centesimal composition. Statistical differences were found for percentage of floating grains (2.33 to 24.67%), volumetric mass (0.814 to 0.850 kg.L-1), mass of 100 grains (0.033 to 0.037 kg), water content (11.86 to 12.20%), proteins (8.21 to 9.06%), lipids (3.00 to 4.77%), and ashes (1.07 to 1.26%). There were no relationships of wet milling yields with maize appearance and physical-chemical characteristics. The addition of 1.00% lactic acid did not statistically improve byproduct yields; however, it favored separation of the grain components.

Hérnia traumática da parede abdominal

A rare case of blunt traumatic abdominal hernia is presented in which jejunal loops herniated through the abdominal wall. The patient had a serious motor vehicle accident seven years ago, while wearing the seat belt. He developed a traumatic hernia in the anterior lateral abdominal wall, which was operated, and relapsed after some months. The patient was reoperated and we observed the unattachment of the anterior lateral abdominal musculature from the ilium crest. After the hernial sac treatment, the defect was solved with the use of a polypropylene mesh. The postoperative evolution was good and four months later there were no signs of recurrence. Traumatic abdominal hernia remains a rare clinical entity, despite the increase in blunt abdominal trauma. Traumatic abdominal wall hernia falls into two general categories: small lower quadrant abdominal defects, typically the result of blunt trauma with bicycle handlebars, and larger abdominal wall defects related to motor vehicle accidents. The diagnosis may be often established by the physical examination alone. Conventional radiology and computerized tomography usefulness have been proved. In the vast majority of cases, early repair is recommended. The appropriate treatment is the reduction of the herniated bowel into the abdomen, the debridment of nonviable tissues, and a primary tension free closure of the detect.

Cultural Diversity, Social Cohesion, Religion: Core Values and Educational Policies in Four European Nations

In my doctoral thesis I evaluate strategies designed to cope with the multicultural nature of four European nations: Great Britain, The Netherlands, Sweden, and Denmark. I also analyse and clarify the question of the place of religion in present-day Europe. The empirical material analysed in the study consists of politicians’ statements and policy documents dealing with immigration policy and religious and values education in the four countries. In addition, I analyse statements issued by the Council of Europe regarding religious education, along with all cases relevant to religious education brought before the United Nations Human Rights Committee or the European Court of Human Rights. The theoretical framework is formed by the scholarly debate – among philosophers, sociologists and scholars of religion in education – concerning the question of a just society. Special emphasis is given to philosophical theories that are in favour of granting special group rights to religious minorities in the name of equal treatment. With regard to the question of the appropriate place of religion, I apply Kim Knott’s methodological model for locating religion in secular contexts, and Émile Durkheim’s theory as to the significance of religion and collective sentiments in uniting adherents or members of a group into a single moral community. The study shows that even when the positive side of immigration, as a potential force for the enrichment of the public culture, is acknowledged, there is anxiety as to the successful integration of immigrants. The premises and goals of immigration policies have also been questioned. One central problem is the incommensurability between the values upheld by Western liberal democracies and certain religious traditions, above all those of Islam. Great Britain, The Netherlands, Sweden, and Denmark have tightened control over their citizens’ ethical attitudes and want to regulate these as well. In coping with cultural diversity, the significance of education, especially religious education, plays a significant role; as future citizens, pupils are expected to internalise the society’s core values as well as gaining an understanding of different cultures and ways of life. It is also worth noting that both the Council of Europe and the European Court of Human Rights have recently expressed the view that one important goal of religious education is to enable pupils to be critical and autonomous with regard to different religions and moral positions. The study shows that religion is not seen as purely a personal matter. Religion is closely linked to individual and national identity, and religious traditions thus have a place in the public domain. It should be noted, however, that a religious tradition – more precisely, an interpretation of religious tradition – qualifies as a legitimate partner in the democratic decision-making process only if it shares similar values with Western European nations.

Hiperplasia nodular focal múltipla do fígado: subtipo misto hiperplásico/adenomatoso

Focal Nodular Hyperplasia is a benign lesion of the liver, which usually presents with one or two localizations. We report the uncommon case of a 51-year-old female who presents with right upper quadrant pain that worsened in the previous month, without association with feeding. Four hepatic lesions were evidenced at Computerized tomography, the largest being of 8 cm in diameter, of atypical behavior. She was submitted to hepatic segmentectomy of the segment III. The pathologic diagnosis returned focal nodular hyperplasia mixed hyperplastic and adenomatous sub-type. The patient had a good postoperative evolution and is in ambulatory follow-up.

Four-arm single docking full robotic surgery for low rectal cancer: technique standardization

The authors present the four-arm single docking full robotic surgery to treat low rectal cancer. The eight main operative steps are: 1- patient positioning; 2- trocars set-up and robot docking; 3- sigmoid colon, left colon and splenic flexure mobilization (lateral-to-medial approach); 4-Inferior mesenteric artery and vein ligation (medial-to-lateral approach); 5- total mesorectum excision and preservation of hypogastric and pelvic autonomic nerves (sacral dissection, lateral dissection, pelvic dissection); 6- division of the rectum using an endo roticulator stapler for the laparoscopic performance of a double-stapled coloanal anastomosis (type I tumor); 7- intersphincteric resection, extraction of the specimen through the anus and lateral-to-end hand sewn coloanal anastomosis (type II tumor); 8- cylindric abdominoperineal resection, with transabdominal section of the levator muscles (type IV tumor). The techniques employed were safe and have presented low rates of complication and no mortality.

Disruptive innovations at the bottom of the pyramid : can they impact the sustainability of today´s top companies?

Due to the different dynamics required for organizations to serve the emerging market which contains billions of people at the bottom of the pyramid (BOP) coupled with the increasing desire for organizations to grow and be more multinational, organizations need to continually innovate. However, the tendency for large and established companies to ignore the BOP market and rather focus on existing markets, gives an indication of the existence of a vulnerability that potentially disruptive innovations from the BOP will not be recognized in good time for a counter measure. This can be deduced from the fact that good management practice advocates that managers should learn and listen to their customers. Therefore majority of the large existing companies continually focus on their main customer/market with sustaining innovations which leaves aspiring new entrants with an underserved BOP market to experiment with. With the aid of research interviews and an agent-based model (ABM) simulation, this thesis examines the attributes of BOP innovations that can qualify them as disruptive and the possibilities of tangible disruptive innovations arising from the bottom of the pyramid and their underlying drivers. The thesis Furthermore, examines the associated impact of such innovations on the future sustainability of established large companies that are operating in the developed world, particularly those with a primary focus which is targeted towards the market at the top of the pyramid (TOP). Additionally, with the use of a scenario planning model, the research provides an evaluation of the possible evolution and potential sustainability impacts that could emerge, from the interplay of innovations at the two pyramidal market levels and the chosen market focus of organizations – TOP or BOP. Using four scenario quadrants, the thesis demonstrates the resulting possibilities from the interaction between the rate of innovations and the segment focused on by organizations with disruptive era characterizing the paradigm shift quadrant. Furthermore, a mathematical model and two theoretical propositions are developed for further research. As recommendations, the thesis also extends the ambidextrous organizational theory, business model innovation and portfolio diversification as plausible recommendations to limit a catastrophic impact, resulting from disruptive innovations.

Mondor's disease in puerperium: case report

Mondor's disease is a rare entity characterized by sclerosing thrombophlebitis classically involving one or more of the subcutaneous veins of the breast and anterior chest wall. It is usually a self-limited, benign condition, despite of rare cases of association to cancer. We present the case of a 32 year-old female, breast-feeding, who went to emergency due to left mastalgia for the past week. She was taking antibiotics and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, previously prescribed for suspicious of mastitis, for three days, with no clinical improvement. Physical examination showed an enlarged left breast, an axillary lump and a painful cord-like structure in the upper outer quadrant of the same breast. Ultrasound scan showed a markedly dilated superficial vein in the upper outer quadrant of left breast. The patient was given a ventropic therapy and was kept in anti-inflammatory, with progressive pain improvement. Ultrasound control was performed after four weeks, showing reperfusion.

Innovation in a Non-Formal Adult Education Organisation – Multi-Case Study in Four Adult Education Centres

More than ever, education organisations are experiencing the need to develop new services and processes to satisfy expanding and changing customer needs and to adapt to the environmental changes and continually tightening economic situation. Innovation has been found in many studies to have a crucial role in the success of an organisation, both in the private and public sectors, in formal education and in manufacturing and services alike. However, studies concerning innovation in non-formal adult education organisations, such as adult education centres (AECs) in Finland, are still lacking. This study investigates innovation in the non-formal adult education organisation context from the perspective of organisational culture types and social networks. The objective is to determine the significant characteristics of an innovative non-formal adult education organisation. The analysis is based on data from interviews with the principals and fulltime staff of four case AECs. Before the case study, a pre-study phase is accomplished in order to obtain a preliminary understanding of innovation at AECs. The research found strong support for the need of innovation in AECs. Innovation is basically needed to accomplish the AEC system’s primary mission mentioned in the ACT on Liberal Adult Education. In addition, innovation is regarded vital to institutes and may prevent their decline. It helps the institutes to be more attractive, to enter new market, to increase customer satisfaction and to be on the cutting edge. Innovation is also seen as a solution to the shortage of resources. Innovative AECs search actively for additional resources for development work through project funding and subsidies, cooperation networks and creating a conversational and joyful atmosphere in the institute. The findings also suggest that the culture type that supports innovation at AECs is multidimensional, with an emphasis on the clan and adhocratic culture types and such values as: dynamism, future orientation, acquiring new resources, mistake tolerance, openness, flexibility, customer orientation, a risk-taking attitude, and community spirit. Active and creative internal and external cooperation also promote innovation at AECs. This study also suggests that the behaviour of a principal is crucial. The way he or she shows appreciation the staff, encouragement and support to the staff and his or her approachability and concrete participation in innovation activities have a strong effect on innovation attitudes and activities in AECs.

Readout Electronics for Gas Electron Multiplier Detectors

The European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN) operates the largest particle collider in the world. This particle collider is called the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) and it will undergo a maintenance break sometime in 2017 or 2018. During the break, the particle detectors, which operate around the particle collider, will be serviced and upgraded. Following the improvement in performance of the particle collider, the requirements for the detector electronics will be more demanding. In particular, the high amount of radiation during the operation of the particle collider sets requirements for the electronics that are uncommon in commercial electronics. Electronics that are built to function in the challenging environment of the collider have been designed at CERN. In order to meet the future challenges of data transmission, a GigaBit Transceiver data transmission module and an E-Link data bus have been developed. The next generation of readout electronics is designed to benefit from these technologies. However, the current readout electronics chips are not compatible with these technologies. As a result, in addition to new Gas Electron Multiplier (GEM) detectors and other technology, a new compatible chip is developed to function within the GEMs for the Compact Muon Solenoid (CMS) project. In this thesis, the objective was to study a data transmission interface that will be located on the readout chip between the E-Link bus and the control logic of the chip. The function of the module is to handle data transmission between the chip and the E-Link. In the study, a model of the interface was implemented with the Verilog hardware description language. This process was simulated by using chip design software by Cadence. State machines and operating principles with alternative possibilities for implementation are introduced in the E-Link interface design procedure. The functionality of the designed logic is demonstrated in simulation results, in which the implemented model is proven to be suitable for its task. Finally, suggestions that should be considered for improving the design have been presented.

Occurrences of anti-Toxoplasma gondii and anti-Neospora caninum antibodies in sheep from four districts of Tocantins state, Brazilian Legal Amazon Region

Toxoplasmosis and neosporosis have been recognized as economically important diseases with considerable impact on the livestock industry. Little is known concerning the occurrence of Toxoplasma gondii and Neospora caninum in sheep from Tocantins state, Brazil. Here, we investigated antibodies against these parasites and associated factors in 182 sheep from Araguaína, Santa Terezinha do Tocantins, Arguianópolis and Palmeiras do Tocantins districts, Tocantins. Sheep sera were assayed for T. gondii and N. caninum IgG antibodies by indirect fluorescence antibody test (IFAT), using cut-off point at a dilution of 1:40 and 1:25 respectively. The prevalence of seropositive animal for T. gondii was 13.74% and 13.74% for N. caninum. None of the characteristics studied including reproductive problems, presence of cats, presence of dogs and veterinary care (p>0.05) was associated with occurrence of T. gondii or N. caninum infection. Only breed was identified as associated factor for the occurrence of toxoplasmosis in sheep (p<0.05). The present study is the first report on serum occurrence of T. gondii and N. caninum in sheep from the state of Tocantins, Brazil.

Four to the Floor // (Far) Below the Bassline

http://www.fanniniemi-junkola.com/oneandmany.html ja https://www.facebook.com/events/363052333825773/ (15.1.2014)