DEVELOPMENT OF STATIC MIXERS FOR MISCIBLE FLUIDS IN LAMINAR FLOW WITH THE USE OF COMPUTATIONAL FLUID DYNAMICS (CFD)

Static mixers with improved performance were developed from CFD simulations in a stepwise approach. The relevant geometric features of simple mixer designs and the corresponding mixing mechanisms-laminar shear, elongational flow, and distributive mixing-were identified first. This information was used to formulate guidelines for the development of new geometries. The solid elements of the static mixer should: (a) provide restrictions to the flow; (b) deflect the flow; (c) be sequentially rotated around the flow direction to provide symmetry; (d) extend from the center of the pipe to the vicinity of the walls to avoid short-circuiting; and (e) distribute and remix the flow. Based on these guidelines, two improved mixer designs were developed: the DS A-I mixer has a good mixing efficiency and an acceptable pressure drop; the Fins 35 degrees mixer is more efficient and compact, but requires a larger pressure drop. Their performance indicates that their use is possible on industrial applications.

Can intensive management accelerate the restoration of Brazil`s Atlantic forests?

Only 7% of the once extensive forest along the eastern coast of Brazil remains, and much of that is degraded and threatened by agricultural expansion and urbanization. We wondered if methods similar to those developed to establish fast-growing Eucalyptus plantations might also work to enhance survival and growth of rainforest species on degraded pastures composed of highly competitive C(4) grasses. An 8-factor experiment was laid out to contrast the value of different intensities of cultivation, application of fertilizer and weed control on the growth and survival of a mixture of 20 rainforest species planted at two densities: 3 m x 1 m, and 3 m x 2 m. Intensive management increased seedling survival from 90% to 98%, stemwood production and leaf area index (LAI) by similar to 4-fold, and stemwood production per unit of light absorbed by 30%. Annual growth in stem biomass was closely related to LAI alone (r(2) = 0.93, p < 0.0001), and the regression improved further in combination with canopy nitrogen content (r(2) =0.99, p < 0.0001). Intensive management resulted in a nearly closed forest canopy in less than 4 years, and offers a practical means to establish functional forests on abandoned agricultural land. (C) 2009 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Within-stand and seasonal variations of specific leaf area in a clonal Eucalyptus plantation in the Republic of Congo

Specific leaf area (SLA; m(leaf)(2) kg(leaf)(-1)) is a key ecophysiological parameter influencing leaf physiology, photosynthesis, and whole plant carbon gain. Both individual tree-based models and other forest process-based models are generally highly sensitive to this parameter, but information on its temporal or within-stand variability is still scarce. In a 2-4-year-old Eucalyptus plantation in Congo, prone to seasonal drought, the within-stand and seasonal variability in SLA were investigated by means of destructive sampling carried out at 2-month intervals, over a 2-year period. Within-crown vertical gradients of SLA were small. Highly significant relationships were found between tree-average SLA (SLA(t)) and tree size (tree height, H(t), or diameter at breast height, DBH): SLA(t) ranged from about 9 m(2) kg(-1) for dominant trees to about 14-15 m(2) kg(-1) for the smallest trees. The decrease in SLA(t) with increasing tree size was accurately predicted from DBH using power functions. Stand-average SLA varied by about 20% during the year, with lowest values at the end of the 5-month dry season, and highest values about 2-3 months after the onset of the wet season. Variability in leaf water status according to tree size and season is discussed as a possible determinant of both the within-stand and seasonal variations in SM. (C) 2009 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

A new approach to the granulation of beta-cyclodextrin inclusion complexes

Cyclodextrins (CDs) are annular oligosaccharides containing 6-12 glucose unities joined together by alpha-1,4 bonds. They have a conical-truncated shape with a lipophilic cavity in which different molecules can be included resulting in a stable inclusion complex. The cyclodextrins have been widely applied in pharmaceutical technology with the objective of increasing the solubility, stability and bioavailability of drugs in different pharmaceutical dosage forms, such as tablets. In order to obtain beta-CD tablets, liquid dispersions of drug/beta-CD are usually submitted to different drying processes, like spray-drying, freeze-drying or slow evaporation, being this dry material added to a number of excipients. However, such drying processes can generate particulate materials showing problems of flow and compressibility, needing their conversion into granulates by means of wetting with granulation liquid followed by additional drying. In this work, the main objective was to evaluate the preparation of tablets without the need of this additional drying step. For this purpose an aqueous dispersion containing acetaminophen/beta-CD complex and cornstarch was dried using a spouted bed and the obtained granules were compressed in tablets. Acetaminophen was used as model drug due to its low water solubility and the inexpensive and widely available cornstarch was chosen as excipient. Acetaminophen powder was added into a beta-cyclodextrin solution prepared in distilled water at 70 degrees C. Stirring was kept until this dispersion cooled to room temperature. Then cornstarch was added and the resulting dispersion was dried in spouted bed equipment. This material was compressed into tablets using an Erweka Korsh EKO tablet machine. This innovative approach allowed the tablets preparation process to be carried out with fewer steps and represents a technological reliable strategy to produce beta-cyclodextrin inclusion complexes tablets. (C) 2010 Elsevier By. All rights reserved.

Knowledges and practices of successful literacy teachers (Brazil, 1950-1980)

Significant changes have marked Brazilian education in the period focused on by this research. Aiming to understand the configurations of the teaching profession in that period, this work focuses on the issue of the school success in the area of literacy by means of an analysis of the practices of literacy teachers who were at work between the 1950s and 1980s. The research is based on life-history accounts. The study aimed at describing the various experiences of these teachers identifying the knowledges and practices that sustained their successful literacy work as well as the various factors of a social, religious, political, familiar or other nature that, in the history of each of these teachers, favoured the development of a pedagogical style of literacy particular to each one of them. Despite the peculiarities and originality of each history, the success in the literacy process, as the defining feature of the profile of the four teachers, results from two main aspects: first, the autonomy that each one managed to keep in the development of his/her teaching work, particularly in the organisation of the teaching practices that indicated greater chances of a pupil`s learning to read and write; second, their trust in the capacity of every child for learning, independently of his/her social, economic and cultural conditions. Based on this evidence it is argued that the success of the pedagogical work, particularly during the early years of schooling, lies in an ethics of the teaching work with a double implication: first, it requires the teachers` dedication to their pupils, and second, it requires respect for the work of the teacher, so that she/he can maintain her/his autonomy and inventiveness. These aspects indicate the need for reflection on teaching work and a review of current teacher education policies, particularly the policies targeted at teachers working with literacy practices.

Exposure to contaminated water: perceptions and practices in a neighborhood in the city of Manaus, Brazil

Objective. To investigate the modes of water supply and the perception concerning the problems caused by this water among residents of a neighborhood without public supply of water, settled in an area previously used as a garbage dump in the city of Manaus, Brazil. Methods. One hundred and sixty-two semi-structured household interviews were conducted. In addition, a focal group with teachers from a local public school and a meeting with residents were held. The instruments employed focused on the perception and modes of water use and on the process of exposure to chemical contaminants through water. Results. Untreated well water was used by most families. This water was considered to be ""good"" by 64.8% of the individuals interviewed. Most residents (88.3%) declared knowledge about the garbage dump. Of these, 77.6% stated that the garbage dump caused health and environmental problems. However, qualitative analysis of the responses revealed that the residents were not aware of contamination by chemical elements or of the consequences of such contamination. The activities carried out with teachers revealed that they were partially aware of the problem, but did not design interventions to address the issue. In a meeting with neighborhood residents, the presence of social activism concerning the problem was identified, but it did not extend beyond the neighborhood or reach governmental spheres. Conclusions. The study identified a situation of critical exposure that tends to be maintained as a result of misperceptions and lack of social mobilization. The dissemination of research results to teachers and residents was useful to empower subjects.

The use of complementary and alternative therapies by patients with cancer

The aim of this research was to assess the prevalence and predictors of complementary and alternative therapy (CAT) use among cancer patients in Australia. A total of 1492 cancer patients attending nine major public cancer treatment centers in New South Wales, Australia, were asked to complete the Supportive Care Needs Survey. Of the 1354 consenting patients, 888 (65%) returned a completed survey. This article reports the secondary analyses of the survey data, specifically focusing on CAT use. For all cancers, 17.1% of patients were using at least one CAT. The two main demographic characteristics of CAT users were gender and age, where females were more likely to use CAT than males and that CAT use declined as age increased. Time since diagnosis was identified as the only significant clinical predictor of CAT use, where CAT use increased with time until 5 years since diagnosis. Our research shows that herbal treatments and naturopathy are the most popular CAT used by cancer patients (constituting over 30% of all CAT use recorded). The use of CAT among cancer patients is a significant issue in cancer care, especially considering the potential interactions between CAT and conventional medicines. Given that many cancer patients may not be aware of potential risks associated with these interactions it is important that oncologists and others involved in cancer patient care are informed about CAT and its use amongst their patients.

Pedagogical work and the 'cult of the body': Considering the role of HPE in the context of the 'new public health'

Physical education, now often explicitly identified with health in contemporary school curricula, continues to be implicated in the (re)production of the 'cult of the body'. We argue that HPE is a form of health promotion that attempts to 'make' healthy citizens of young people in the context of the 'risk society'. In our view there is still work to be done in understanding how and why physical education (as HPE) continues to be implicated in the reproduction of values associated with the cult of body. We are keen to understand why HPE continues to be ineffective in helping young people gain some measure of analytic and embodied 'distance' from the problematic aspects of the cult of the body. This paper offers an analysis of this enduring issue by using some contemporary analytic discourses including 'governmentality', 'risk society' and the 'new public health'.

Rumors of the death of emotional intelligence in organizational behavior are vastly exaggerated

In the first of two articles presenting the case for emotional intelligence in a point/counterpoint exchange, we present a brief summary of research in the field, and rebut arguments against the construct presented in this issue.We identify three streams of research: (1) a four-branch abilities test based on the model of emotional intelligence defined in Mayer and Salovey (1997); (2) self-report instruments based on the Mayer–Salovey model; and (3) commercially available tests that go beyond the Mayer–Salovey definition. In response to the criticisms of the construct, we argue that the protagonists have not distinguished adequately between the streams, and have inappropriately characterized emotional intelligence as a variant of social intelligence. More significantly, two of the critical authors assert incorrectly that emotional intelligence research is driven by a utopian political agenda, rather than scientific interest. We argue, on the contrary, that emotional intelligence research is grounded in recent scientific advances in the study of emotion; specifically regarding the role emotion plays in organizational behavior. We conclude that emotional intelligence is attracting deserved continuing research interest as an individual difference variable in organizational behavior related to the way members perceive, understand, and manage their emotions.

Demotivation: Understanding Resistance to English Language Learning - The Case of Vietnamese Students

Demotivation in English language learning was investigated, using Vietnam as a case study, with three main foci: (i) the reasons (i.e., the demotives) underlying demotivation; (ii) the degree of influence of different demotives; and (iii) students’ experiences in overcoming demotivation. Using stimulated recall essays from 100 university students of their foreign language learning experiences, the findings indicated that demotivation was a significant issue for EFL learning, and a framework for discussing the different sources of demotives was developed. While some categories of demotives occurred more frequent than others, no category appeared to be more or less difficult to overcome. Rather, students’ awareness of the role of English language and their determination to succeed were critical factors in overcoming demotivation.

Project to investigate improving literacy and numeracy outcomes of distance education students in the early years of schooling

The project was commissioned to investigate and analyse the issue of effective support for distance education students in the early years of school to maximise literacy and numeracy outcomes. The scope of this project was limited to students living in rural and remote areas who are undertaking education at home and who are in their early years of schooling. For the purpose of this project, the early years are conceptualised as the first three years of formal compulsory schooling in each of the States and Territories. There were a number of key tasks for the project which included: 1. Examining of the role of home tutors/supervisors This included interviewing personnel from the State and Territory distance education providers as well as the principals, teachers, home tutors and children. 2. Describing literacy and numeracy teaching and learning, and the use of information and communication technologies (ICT) in distance education This aspect of the project involved a critical review and analysis of relevant literature and reports in the last five years, and a consideration of the new initiatives that had been implemented in the States and Territories in the last two years. 3. The development of resources Through examination of the role of home tutors/supervisors, and an examination of literacy and numeracy and the use of technology in distance education, three resources were developed: ● A guide for home tutors/supervisors and schools of distance education about effective intervention and assessment strategies to support students’ learning and to assist the home tutors/supervisors in implementing ICT to support the development of literacy and numeracy in the early years. ● A calendar of activities for literacy and numeracy that would act as a stimulus for integrated and authentic activity for young children. ● An embryonic website of resources for the stakeholders in rural and distance education that might act as a catalyst for future resource building and sharing. In this way the final key task of the project, which was to create a context for a strategic dissemination plan, was realised when a strategy to address effective dissemination of the findings of the project so as to maximise their usefulness for the relevant groups was achieved.

Cost-effectiveness analysis of humanitarian relief interventions: visceral leishmaniasis treatment in the Sudan

Spending by aid agencies on emergencies has quadrupled over the last decade, to over US$ 6 billion. To date, cost-effectiveness has seldom been considered in the prioritization and evaluation of emergency interventions. The sheer volume of resources spent on humanitarian aid and the chronicity of many humanitarian interventions call for more attention to be paid to the issue of 'value for money'. In this paper we present data from a major humanitarian crisis, an epidemic of visceral leishmaniasis (VL) in war-torn Sudan. The special circumstances provided us, in retrospect, with unusually accurate data on excess mortality, costs of the intervention and its effects, thus allowing us to express cost-effectiveness as the cost per Disability Adjusted Life Year (DALY) averted. The cost-effectiveness ratio, of US$ 18.40 per DALY (uncertainty range between US$ 13.53 and US$ 27.63), places the treatment of VL in Sudan among health interventions considered 'very flood value for money' (interventions of less than US$ 25 per DALY). We discuss the usefulness of this analysis to the internal management of the VL programme, the procurement of funds for the programme, and more generally, to priority setting in humanitarian relief interventions. We feel that in evaluations of emergency interventions attempts could be made more often to perform cost-effectiveness analyses, including the use of DALYs, provided that the outcomes of these analyses are seen in the broad context of the emergency situation and its consequences on the affected population. This paper provides a first contribution to what is hoped to become an international database of cost-effectiveness studies of health outcome such as the DALY.

The demise of a planned randomised controlled trial in an urban Aboriginal medical service

To fill a gap in knowledge about the effectiveness of brief intervention for hazardous alcohol use among Indigenous Australians, we attempted to implement a randomised controlled trial in an urban Aboriginal Medical Service (AMS) as a joint AMS-university partnership. Because of low numbers of potential participants being screened, the RCT was abandoned in favour of a two-part demonstration project. Only 16 clients were recruited for follow-up in six-months, and the trial was terminated. Clinic, patient, Aboriginal health worker, and GP factors, interacting with study design factors, all contributed to our inability to implement the trial as designed. The key points to emerge from the study are that alcohol misuse is a difficult issue to manage in an Indigenous primary health care setting; RCTs involving inevitably complex study protocols may not be acceptable or sufficiently adaptable to make them viable in busy, Indigenous primary health care settings; and gold-standard RCT-derived evidence for the effectiveness of many public health interventions in Indigenous primary health care settings may never be available, and decisions about appropriate interventions will often have to be based on qualitative assessment of appropriateness and evidence from other populations and other settings.

Development Resource Planning: Complexity of Product Development and the Capacity to Launch New Products

Overcommitment of development capacity or development resource deficiencies are important problems in new product development (NPD). Existing approaches to development resource planning have largely neglected the issue of resource magnitude required for NPD. This research aims to fill the void by developing a simple higher-level aggregate model based on an intuitive idea: The number of new product families that a firm can effectively undertake is bound by the complexity of its products or systems and the total amount of resources allocated to NPD. This study examines three manufacturing companies to verify the proposed model. The empirical results confirm the study`s initial hypothesis: The more complex the product family, the smaller the number of product families that are launched per unit of revenue. Several suggestions and implications for managing NPD resources are discussed, such as how this study`s model can establish an upper limit for the capacity to develop and launch new product families.