Developing Comprehensive Academic Plans

Institutions engage in academic planning to supplement strategic planning processes and guide future academic direction. This report profiles the processes seven public research institutions undertook to develop comprehensive academic plans and to identify opportunities to create signature “programs of tomorrow.

Financial guarantees in Brazilian life insurance and pension plans

Recently regulated Brazilian life and pension products offer a benefit structure composed of minimum guaranteed annual rate, in°ation adjustment according to a price index and participation on an investment fund performance. We present a valuation model for these products. We establish a fair condition relationship between minimum guarantees and participation rates, and explore its behavior over a space of maturities, interest rates, and also fund and price index volatilities and correlation. Besides consistency to reference models, we found that the effect of the fund volatility is conditioned to the price index volatility level and the correlation between them.

Hospital hero: a game for reducing stress and anxiety of children while waiting in emergency room

This report tells a story which started as an idea that came to us to fight the battle-cry feeling commonly known as stress and anxiety. Before creating the solution of the idea, we first need to understand the feelings underneath and its effects on our well-being. Throughout the course of our lives, we experience states of weakness and fear. These feelings can arise, for instance, while we are in an emergency room. Needless to say, how much it would have imaginable effects on children, who are unfamiliar to such environments. We ran through a serious of scenarios to find the most suitable solution, among them the study of interaction with positive expressions by Dr. Baldwin, proved to be a valued resource. It was reduced due to its length and to be suitable to our public audience. The game was then created in order to reduce or even eliminate the stress and anxiety of children. Since the game was initially released, some modifications had been made but the original idea - interaction with positive expressions – remained. When the time came, we asked children to play one of the two versions of the game while waiting in the emergency room. This not only created a diversion for them but also a learning experience as it displayed some hospital equipment. The difference between the two versions is that one provides expressions, while the other does not. After all our hard work, we felt rewarded because the project proved its worth and we would see that in the expressions on children’s faces while they played. Most importantly, their anxiety level numbers were significantly reduced during that short period of time.

Bacterial diversity in soil in response to different plans, phosphate fertilizers and liming

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Dentists' level of knowledge of the treatment plans for periodontal ligament injuries after dentoalveolar trauma

This study investigated the level of knowledge held by dentists about the possible treatment plan procedures for periodontal ligament injuries after dentoalveolar trauma. A 5-item self-applied questionnaire was prepared with questions referring to the professional profile of the interviewees and to the treatment plan they would propose for periodontal ligament injuries secondary to dentoalveolar trauma. The questionnaires were filled out by 693 dentists attending the 23rd Annual Meeting of the Brazilian Society for Dental Research, and the data obtained were subjected to descriptive analysis. Either the chi-square test or Fisher's exact test was applied to assess associations among variables, at a 5% level of significance. The results revealed that dentists experienced difficulty in establishing a treatment plan for subluxation, and for extrusive, lateral and intrusive luxations. In general, holding a dental specialty degree had no influence on the knowledge about treatment plan procedures for the most severe injuries. It could be concluded that the dentists participating in this study, whether specialists or not, did not have sufficient knowledge to treat most of the periodontal ligament injuries resulting from dentoalveolar trauma adequately.

Crown and crown-root fractures: an evaluation of the treatment plans for management proposed by 154 specialists in restorative dentistry

Traumatic tooth injuries involve function and aesthetics and cause damage that range from minimal enamel loss to complex fractures involving the pulp tissue and even loss of the tooth crown. Technical knowledge and clinical experience are essential to establish an accurate diagnosis and provide a rational treatment. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the knowledge of Restorative Dentistry specialists about the management of crown and crown-root fractures based on treatment plans proposed by these professionals for these cases. A descriptive questionnaire was mailed to 245 Restorative Dentistry specialists with questions referring to their professional profile and the treatment plans they would propose for the management of crown and crow-root fractures resulting from dental trauma. One hundred and fifty-four questionnaires were returned properly filled. The data were subjected to descriptive statistics and the chi-square test was used to determine the frequency and the level of the significance among the variables. The analysis of data showed that in spite of having a specialist title, all interviewees had great difficulty in planning the treatments. As much as 42.8% of the participants were unable to treat all types of dental trauma. Complicated and uncomplicated crown-root fractures posed the greatest difficulties for the dentists to establish adequate treatment plans because these fractures require multidisciplinary knowledge and approach for a correct case planning and prognosis.

Knowledge of firefighters with special paramedic training of the emergency management of avulsed teeth

Immediate replantation into the socket is the ideal procedure in cases of accidental avulsion of permanent teeth. In Brazil, firefighters with special paramedic training are in charge of providing first-aid care to victims of road accidents and might have to deal with tooth avulsions. This study assessed the knowledge of firefighters regarding the emergency management of avulsed teeth. Information was collected from a questionnaire submitted to 110 volunteer firefighters in seven cities in the São Paulo State (Brazil). The results revealed that 70.9% of the respondents did not know what tooth avulsion was; 53.6% did not know what tooth replantation was or defined it incorrectly; 60% would not act properly in tooth avulsion cases; 20.9% did not consider replantation of the avulsed tooth into the socket as a treatment option; the ideal time interval for tooth replantation was unknown to 40% of the interviewees; 90% of the participants answered that they would not be able to perform tooth replantation. Among those who considered themselves unable to perform tooth replantation, 47.3% chose saline as the best storage medium for an avulsed tooth, 21.8% chose milk, 3.6% chose the patient's mouth and 20% reported not knowing where to store the tooth; 81.8% of the firefighters reported not to have ever received any specific directions on tooth replantation and 100% of them considered this knowledge a requirement for first-aid care to accident victims. In conclusion, the knowledge of the surveyed firefighters regarding emergency management after tooth avulsion was unsatisfactory in several aspects that are important for the success of replantation procedures. Firefighters with special paramedic training should be educated on how to proceed in cases of dentoalveolar traumas and tooth avulsions in order to improve treatment prognosis and increase the survival rate of replanted teeth.

Evaluating the knowledge of sports participants regarding dental emergency procedures

Dental trauma is a common consequence of sports practice to which emergency treatment is critical. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the knowledge of sports participants about dental trauma procedures, particularly tooth avulsion. A specific questionnaire concerning concepts, experiences and behaviors after dental trauma and the use of mouthguard was standardized and validated with 80 people. The validated questionnaire was then distributed to 310 sports participants. The results showed that 28.4% had experienced a kind of dental trauma; 42.6% would look for a dentist for treatment; 51.7% reimplanted or would reimplant the avulsed tooth; 6.5% would maintain the avulsed tooth in milk. Although 47.4% of the participants were aware of the possibility of accidents during sports practice, only 13.9% reported to use a mouthguard. This study showed an overall lack of knowledge of sportsmen and sportswomen with regards to tooth avulsion, thus reinforcing the need for educational campaigns to improve the immediate emergency treatment of tooth avulsion.

Luxation injuries in primary teeth: a retrospective study in children assisted at an emergency service

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

Effects on permanent teeth after luxation injuries to the primary predecessors: a study in children assisted at an emergency service

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

Knowledge of general dentists in the current guidelines for emergency treatment of avulsed teeth and dental trauma prevention

A high prevalence of dental trauma exists and its effects on function and esthetics deserve the attention of general dentists. The aim of this study was to assess the level of general dental practitioners' (GDPs) knowledge about guidelines for dental avulsion and its prevention using a questionnaire. The 21-item questionnaire was distributed among 264 GDPs and the survey was realized between August-November 2006. The data obtained were statistically analyzed using descriptive analysis and Pearson's Chi-square test to determine associations between knowledge regarding emergency treatment and dentists from public or private dental schools and years of experience. The results showed that the participants exhibited appropriate knowledge concerning procedures in cases of tooth avulsion and its prevention. The number of correct answers was low in relation to recommended treatment at the site of injury. Storage medium, preparation of the alveolus and splint time for receiving the avulsed tooth received a high number of correct answers. One statistically significant association between years of experience and recommended treatment at the site of the injury in the case an avulsed tooth (KH2 = 9.384, P = 0.009). In conclusion, this survey showed appropriate knowledge of dental avulsion management and its prevention among the surveyed dentists. The findings also showed that communication between dentists and the population is deficient, especially concerning practitioners of high risk and contact sports.

Karyotype description of two Neotropical Psittacidae species: the endangered Hyacinth Macaw, Anodorhynchus hyacinthinus, and the Hawk-headed Parrot, Deroptyus accipitrinus (Psittaciformes: Aves), and its significance for conservation plans

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Repetition of Suicide Attempts Data from Emergency Care Settings in Five Culturally Different Low- and Middle-Income Countries Participating in the WHO SUPRE-MISS Study

Background: Attempted suicide is a strong risk factor for subsequent suicidal behaviors. Innovative strategies to deal with people who have attempted suicide are needed, particularly in resource-poor settings. Aims: To evaluate a brief educational intervention and periodic follow-up contacts (BIC) for suicide attempters in five culturally different sites (Campinas, Brazil; Chennai, India; Colombo, Sri Lanka; Karaj, Islamic Republic of Iran; and Yuncheng, People's Republic of China) as part of the WHO Multisite Intervention Study on Suicidal Behaviors (SUPRE-MISS). Methods: Among the 1,867 suicide attempters enrolled in the emergency departments of the participating sites, 922 (49.4%) were randomly assigned to a brief intervention and contact (BIC) group and 945 (50.6%) to a treatment as usual (TAU) group. Repeated suicide attempts over the 18 months following the index attempt - the secondary outcome measure presented in this paper - were identified by follow-up calls or visits. Subsequent completed suicide - the primary outcome measure has been reported in a previous paper. Results: Overall, the proportion of subjects with repeated suicide attempts was similar in the BIC and TAU groups (7.6% vs. 7.5%, chi(2) = 0.013; p = .909), but there were differences in rates across the five sites. Conclusions: This study from five low-and middle-income countries does not confirm the effectiveness of brief educational intervention and follow-up contacts for suicide attempters in reducing subsequent repetition of suicide attempts up to 18 months after discharge from emergency departments.