Claudin expression is dysregulated in prostate adenocarcinomas but does not correlate with main clinicopathological parameters

Aims: Claudins, a large family of essential tight junction (TJ) proteins, are abnormally regulated in human carcinomas. The aim of this study was to determine the expression of claudins 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, and 11 in prostate samples from Brazilian patients and correlate it with the clinicopathological features of prostate cancer. Methods: Using a tissue microarray (TMA) of specimens of prostate adenocarcinoma and benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) we analysed the expression of claudins 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, and 11 by immunohistochemistry. Results: Claudin 4 was down-regulated and claudins 2, 3, and 5 were overexpressed in prostate adenocarcinomas compared with BPH samples. Expression of claudins 1 and 7 was similar in tumours and BPH samples. Claudin 11 was absent from all prostate samples. Overexpression of claudin 3 was associated with perineural invasion (p = 0.014) and tended to occur in advanced stages of the disease (p = 0.064). Increased expression of claudin 5 was marginally associated with perineural invasion (p = 0.060). Conclusions: Our results suggest that alterations in claudin expression occur in prostate cancer cells, although we have not found an association with the main clinicopathological parameters.

Gender inequality, poverty and human development in Kenya: Main indicators, trends and limitations

Indicators of gender inequality, poverty and human development in Kenya are examined. Significant and rising incidence of absolute poverty occurs in Kenya and women are more likely to be in poverty than men. Female/male ratios in Kenyan decision-making institutions are highly skewed against women and they experience unfavourable enrolment ratios in primary, secondary and tertiary institutions. The share of income earned by women is much lower than men's share. General Kenyan indicators highlight declining GDP per capita, increased poverty rates especially for women, reduced life expectancy, a narrowing of the difference in female/male life expectancy rates, increased child mortality rates and an increase in the female child mortality rates. This deterioration results in an increased socio-economic burden on women, not adequately captured in the HPI, HDI, GDI and GEM. This paper advocates the use of household level gender disaggregated data because much gender inequality occurs in and emanates from the household level where culture plays a very important role in allocation of resources and decision-making. Because most human development indicators are aggregates or averages, they can be misleading. They need to be supplemented by distributional and disaggregated data as demonstrated in the Kenyan case. The importance is emphasised of studying coping mechanisms of household/families for dealing with economic hardship and other misfortunes, such AIDS.

Influence of shaft design on the shaping ability of 3 nickel-titanium rotary systems by means of spiral computerized tomography

Objective. To evaluate the influence of shaft design on the shaping ability of 3 rotary nickel-titanium (NiTi) systems. Study design. Sixty curved mesial canals of mandibular molars were used. Specimens were scanned by spiral tomography before and after canal preparation using ProTaper, ProFile, and ProSystem GT rotary instruments. One-millimeter-thick slices were scanned from the apical end point to the pulp chamber. The cross-sectional images from the slices taken earlier and after canal preparation at the apical, coronal, and midroot levels were compared. Results. The mean working time was 137.22 +/- 5.15 s. Mean transportation, mean centering ratio, and percentage of area increase were 0.022 +/- 0.131 mm, 0.21 +/- 0.11, and 76.90 +/- 42.27%, respectively, with no statistical differences (P > .05). Conclusions. All instruments were able to shape curved mesial canals in mandibular molars to size 30 without significant errors. The differences in shaft designs seemed not to affect their shaping capabilities.

Applying discrete element modelling to vertical and horizontal shaft impact crushers

The PFC3D (particle flow code) that models the movement and interaction of particles by the DEM techniques was employed to simulate the particle movement and to calculate the velocity and energy distribution of collision in two types of impact crusher: the Canica vertical shaft crusher and the BJD horizontal shaft swing hammer mill. The distribution of collision energies was then converted into a product size distribution for a particular ore type using JKMRC impact breakage test data. Experimental data of the Canica VSI crusher treating quarry and the BJD hammer mill treating coal were used to verify the DEM simulation results. Upon the DEM procedures being validated, a detailed simulation study was conducted to investigate the effects of the machine design and operational conditions on velocity and energy distributions of collision inside the milling chamber and on the particle breakage behaviour. (C) 2003 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Sex- and race-related differences in cross-sectional geometry and bone density of the femoral mid-shaft in older adults

Background : Femoral shaft fracture incidence increases in older adults and is associated with low-energy trauma. Apart from bone density, the distribution and size of bone contributes to its strength. Aim : To examine if bone geometry and density of the femoral mid-shaft in older adults differs by sex and race, we studied 197 White women, 225 Black women, 242 White men, and 148 Black men aged 70-79 years participating in the Health, Aging, and Body Composition study; a prospective cohort study in the USA. A secondary purpose of the study was to examine the association of site-specific muscle and fat to bone geometry and density. Subjects and methods : Subjects were community-dwelling and reported no difficulty walking one-quarter of a mile or climbing stairs. Mid-femoral volumetric bone mineral density (vBMD, mg cm -3 ), total area (TA), cortical area (CA), medullary area (MA), cross-sectional moments of inertia (CSMI: I x , I y , J ), and muscle and fat areas (cm 2 ) were determined by computed tomography (CT; GE CT-9800, 10 mm slice thickness). Results : vBMD was greater in men than women with no difference by race ( p < 0.001). Bone areas and area moments of inertia were also greater in men than women ( p < 0.001), with Black women having higher values than White women for TA and CA. Standardizing geometric parameters for body size differences by dividing by powers of femur length did not negate the sex difference for TA and MA. Significant differences ( p < 0.05) among the four groups also remained for I x and J . Mid-thigh muscle area was an independent contributor to TA in all groups (Std beta = 0.181-0.351, p < 0.05) as well as CA in women (Std beta = 0.246-0.254, p < 0.01) and CSMI in White women (Std beta = 0.175-0.185, p < 0.05). Further, muscle area was a significant contributor to vBMD in Black women. Conclusion : These results indicate that bone geometry and density of the femoral diaphysis differs primarily by sex, rather than race, in older well-functioning adults. In addition, site-specific muscle area appears to have a potential contributory role to bone geometry parameters, especially in women.

The main benefits associated with health and safety management systems certification in Portuguese small and medium enterprises post quality management system certification

The purpose of this study is to characterize how Portuguese Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) view the Occupational Health and Safety Management Systems (OHSMSs) certification process, after receiving the Quality Management System (QMS) certification. References were based on the ISO 9001 standard for a QMS and OHSAS 18001 for OHSMS. The method used to evaluate the implemented systems, was by form of questionnaire. Those questioned had to have a certified quality management system, an implemented OHSMS and be a SME. The questionnaire was sent to 300 SMEs; 46 responses were received and validated. Of them, only 12 SMEs had the OHSMS certificate according to OHSAS 18001. Within those 12 companies that participated: 7 SMEs are from the industrial sector; 3 belong to the electricity/telecommunications sector and 2 SMEs are from the trade/services activity sector. The size of the sample was small, but corresponds to Portuguese reality. Moreover, 34 SMEs did not have the OHSMS certificate. The questionnaire requested the main reasons for SMEs to opt for non-certification and it was related with high costs, while the main reasons to certificate were, among others, needed to eliminate or minimize risks to workers. The main benefits that Portuguese SMEs have gained from the referred certifications have been, improved working conditions, ensuring compliance with legislation and better internal communication about risks and hazards. Also presented are the main difficulties in achieving an OHSMS certification including high certification costs, difficulties motivating personnel, difficulties in changing the company’s culture and increased bureaucracy.

The Main Determinants of the Use of the Cost Accounting System in Portuguese Local Government

This paper explores the main determinants of the use of the cost accounting system (CAS) in Portuguese local government (PLG). Regression analysis is used to study the fit of a model of accounting changes in PLG, focused on cost accounting systems oriented to activities and outputs. Based on survey data gathered from PLG, we have found that the use of information in decision-making and external reporting is still a mirage. We obtain evidence about the influence of the internal organizational context (especially the lack of support and difficulties in the CAS implementation) in the use for internal purposes, while the institutional environment (like external pressures to implement the CAS) appears to be more deterministic of the external use. Results strengthen the function of external reporting to legitimate the organization’s activities to external stakeholders. On the other hand, some control variables (like political competition, usefulness and experience) also evidence some explanatory power in the model. Some mixed results were found that appeal to further research in the future. Our empirical results contribute to understand the importance of interconnecting the contingency and institutional approaches to gain a clear picture of cost accounting changes in the public sector.

A comparative benchmarking analysis of main Iberian container terminals: a DEA approach

Benchmarking is an important tool to organisations to improve their productivity, product quality, process efficiency or services. From Benchmarking the organisations could compare their performance with competitors and identify their strengths and weaknesses. This study intends to do a benchmarking analysis on the main Iberian Sea ports with a special focus on their container terminals efficiency. To attain this, the DEA (data envelopment analysis) is used since it is considered by several researchers as the most effective method to quantify a set of key performance indicators. In order to reach a more reliable diagnosis tool the DEA is used together with the data mining in comparing the sea ports operational data of container terminals during 2007.Taking into account that sea ports are global logistics networks the performance evaluation is essential to an effective decision making in order to improve their efficiency and, therefore, their competitiveness.

Modelling a Rotating Shaft as an Elastically Restrained Bernoulli-Euler Beam

Industrial rotating machines may be exposed to severe dynamic excitations due to resonant working regimes. Dealing with the bending vibration, problem of a machine rotor, the shaft - and attached discs - can be simply modelled using the Bernoulli-Euler beam theory, as a continuous beam subjected to a specific set of boundary conditions. In this study, the authors recall Rayleigh's method to propose an iterative strategy, which allows for the determination of natural frequencies and mode shapes of continuous beams taking into account the effect of attached concentrated masses and rotational inertias, including different stiffness coefficients at the right and the left end sides. The algorithm starts with the exact solutions from Bernoulli-Euler's beam theory, which are then updated through Rayleigh's quotient parameters. Several loading cases are examined in comparison with the experimental data and examples are presented to illustrate the validity of the model and the accuracy of the obtained values.

Clustering an interval data set : are the main partitions similar to a priori partition?

This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

Estágio na empresa SPECMAN para a prática de técnicas de controlo da condição

Trabalho Final de Mestrado para obtenção do grau de Mestre em Engenharia Mecânica

Main features of the labour policy in Portugal

In this working paper is presented information on the Portuguese labour market developed with the support of the European project WORKS-“Work organisation and restructuring in the knowledge society”. Is still a on the process article and thus commentaries are welcome. The structure is based on the following topics: a) The employment policy (Time regimes - time use, flexibility, part-time work, work-life balance -, and the work contracts regimes – wages, contract types, diversity); b) Education and training (skilling outcomes, rules on retraining and further training, employability schemes, transferability of skills); c) Equal opportunities (relevance of equal opportunity regulation for restructuring outcomes, the role of gender and age regulation); d) Restructuring effects (policy on transfer of personnel, policy on redundancies, and participation or voice in restructuring).

Caracterización y determinación del proceso para la producción de cal comercial a partir de la piedra caliza

La cal es un material producido a partir de la calcinación de la roca caliza y tiene diversas utilidades en el mundo de la industria como la siderúrgica, papelera, alimentaria, en la construcción, entre otras. Es fundamental conocer todas las características de la caliza para poder determinar su grado de calcinación. Con el presente trabajo se pretende estudiar las propiedades de la caliza para su posterior calcinación y el dimensionamiento de una planta de producción de cal desde que el mineral llega de la explotación hasta que sale al mercado. Para determinar los equipos se calcularon sus dimensiones para una producción de 600 t/h de cal, sabiendo que la planta principal de machaqueo solo trabajará 5 días de la semana en jornadas de 8 horas, mientras que a partir del horno de calcinación estará en funcionamiento los 7 días de la semana, 24 horas al día. A partir de esas consideraciones se obtienen las dimensiones de todos los equipos y se realiza un estudio para la elección de un horno, o un horno de eje vertical y un horno rotativo, así como el combustible empleado, ya que es una parte fundamental para determinar los costes para la producción de cal. También fue objeto de este trabajo, el estudio ambiental de la instalación de la planta, en función de la mezcla de combustible empleada y del impacto en el entorno de la misma, así como un estudio de viabilidad de la planta, estimando unos costes de la misma y un precio de mercado “ex‐Works”.

Estudo da turbina de Tesla visando a sua aplicação em sistemas de geração de energia elétrica descentralizada

Trabalho Final de Mestrado para obtenção do grau de Mestre em Engenharia Mecânica

The three main marine depositional cycles of the Neogene of Portugal

The present work follows a stratigraphic model for the marine Neogene of Portugal based on the definition of three main marine sedimentary cycles. Conceptually the I, II and III Neogene Cycles can be defined as 2nd order sedimentary sequences with duration ranging from 5 to 8 Ma. The I Neogene Cycle is fully represented only in the Lower Tagus Basin. Ranging from the Early Aquitanian to the Late Burdigalian the I Neogene Cycle testify a transgressive episode in the region of Lisbon and Setúbal Peninsula. Rapid lateral facies variations suggest a shallowmarine basin. This cycle ends with an important Late Burdigalian tectonic compressive event expressed by uplift of the surrounding areas and deformation affecting the Early Miocene deposits of the Arrábida Chain. The II Neogene Cycle includes thick sedimentary sequences covering Paleozoic and Mesozoic formations in the Algarve and Alvalade-Melides regions and it extends as far north as Santarém in the Lower Tagus Basin. Mainly controlled by global eustasy, it was generated by the important positive eustatic trend that characterized the Middle Miocene worldwide to which the Portuguese continental margin acted more or less passively. This cycle ended with a second and the most important compression event starting after the end of the Serravallian affecting the entire Portuguese onshore and shelf areas. This led to an important depositional hiatus of marine sediments for more than 2.5 Ma. During the Early and the Middle Tortonian occurred the clockwise rotation of the Guadalquivir Basin. The thickmarine units deposited afterwards in this basin produced a litostatic load, which seems to have induced subsidence farther west resuming the Neogene marine sedimentation in the Cacela region (Eastern Algarve), during the Late Tortonian. This marks the beginning of the III Neogene Cycle. To the north, in the Sado Basin (Alvalade-Melides region), a similar depositional sequence starts its sedimentation during the Messinian. Further north, in the Pombal-Caldas da Rainha region, marine sedimentation started during the Late Pliocene (Piacenzian). The migration in time, from south to north for the beginning of the marine sedimentation of this cycle is interpreted as reflecting a visco-elastic propagation of the deformation from the Betic chain northwards.