Irradiação e atmosfera modificada passiva na qualidade pós-colheita de goiabas 'Pedro Sato'

The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of gamma radiation associated with modified atmosphere on postharvest quality of guavas ‘Pedro Sato’. It was used guavas from the region of Vista Alegre do Alto/São Paulo/Brazil. After harvest, the fruits were immediately transported to the Fruit and Vegetables Laboratory from the Agroindustrial Management and Technology Department, Agronomic Sciences College - UNESP - Botucatu / SP, where they were kept at 10 ° C and 90-95% RH in cold storage, for 28 days. It was used the randomized design, with factorial scheme 5 x 5, three repetitions. The first factor consisted of the following effects: control 1 (without package or irradiation), control 2 (polystyrene package/PS + package low density polyethylene/LDPE and without irradiation), treatment 1 (PS + LDPE and 0.2 kGy ), treatment 2 (PS + LDPE and 0.6 kGy) and treatment 3 (PS + LDPE and 1.0 kGy). The second factor consisted of the evaluation periods: 0, 7, 14, 21 and 28 days. The analyses were: firmness, soluble solids (SS), titratable acidity (TA), maturity index, pH, respiration rate. Concluded that high doses of irradiation promoted a negative effect on physical-chemical characteristics of guava ‘Pedro Sato’, verifying that only the lowest dose associated with modified atmosphere provided fruits with higher quality and acceptability, due to higher maturation rate and soluble solids obtained. Regarding the days of analysis, there were no positive effect of the treatments during storage, where only the early days promoted better values for the variables studied.

Parâmetros nutricionais e metabólicos de novilhos nelore recriados em pastos de diferentes alturas e doses de suplemento

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

Desenvolvimento de uma metodologia de ensino, baseada na teoria das inteligências múltiplas viabilizada pelo uso de tecnologias de informação e comunicação

Pós-graduação em Engenharia Elétrica - FEIS

Fatores de risco e proteção na escola: reprovação e expectativas de futuro de jovens paraenses

Este estudo investigou as relações entre reprovação escolar, percepções quanto à escola e expectativas de futuro entre jovens, a partir de dados de uma amostra de 610 jovens com idades entre 14 a 24 anos (m=16,56; dp=2,37), de ambos os sexos, estudantes de escolas públicas da cidade de Belém do Pará. Foi utilizado um questionário com 77 questões de múltipla escolha. Os resultados revelaram que quase 50% dos alunos já sofreram reprovação escolar, embora apresentem boa percepção quanto à escola. Foram observadas correlações entre reprovação escolar e baixas expectativas de futuro acadêmico e entre boas percepções quanto à escola e melhores perspectivas acadêmicas. A expectativa de entrar na universidade apareceu mais associada ao sexo feminino. Os resultados poderão contribuir para o entendimento da importância da instituição escolar na promoção de fatores de proteção no desenvolvimento.

A Pilot Study to Determine the Effectiveness of Probiotic Use in Elderly Patients with Antibiotic-Associated Diarrhea

Long-term care settings have the majority of their patients on multiple antibiotics, and outbreaks of antibiotic-associated diarrhea and Clostridium difficile are common. Probiotics have been used with these patients to reduce these side effects. Probiotics can re-establish the composition of intestinal microflora, enhance immune response, and clear pathogens from the host which may reduce the symptoms of antibiotic-associated diarrhea. Therefore, the goal of this study was to conduct a retrospective study of the effectiveness of using probiotic in elderly patients in a long-term care facility in a Midwestern city who suffered from antibiotic-associated diarrhea. The probiotic, CulturelleTM had been administered once a day to eight males and twelve female patients who were taking antibiotics and stool consistency and number were recorded. Out of the original group, seven of the patients receiving the probiotic appeared to have positive effects while two patients had negative effects on stools. Thirteen patients showed no change in stool consistency and number. It was difficult to determine the effects of the probiotic due to the use by the facility of a bowel movement protocol for preventing constipation and impaction, and the lack of dietary records. Published studies in patients in long-term facilities vary greatly in terms of trial design, type and dose of probiotic and duration of treatment, which may explain why probiotics work for some patients and not for others. Probiotic use is becoming more accepted with antibiotic-associated diarrhea but due to the lack of definitive evidence about efficacy and the safety of probiotic use, more studies need to be conducted. Advisors: Kaye Stanek Krogstrand and Julie Albrecht

ACTIVITY OF LM 2219 (DIFETHIALONE), A NEW ANTICOAGULANT RODENTICIDE, IN COMMENSAL RODENTS

ABSTRACT: Preliminary studies completed on commensal rodents with the new anticoagulant rodenticide difethialone showed very good efficacy, such that 25 ppm baits could be used effectively. New test results presented in this publication confirm the activity as shown under laboratory conditions in choice tests, which represent more severe conditions, as well as its effectiveness against rodents that are resistant and non-resistant to warfarin. In tests where the palatability was only fair the chemical activity resulted in excellent mortality. In a field test against a large population of Mus musculus the results proved very satisfactory. Difethialone is toxic to birds and fish. However, it seems to be better tolerated by dogs and pigs, animals that are frequently on the list of accidental poisonings. Difethialone is stored over a prolonged period in the liver but the risk to non-target species consuming rodents having ingested the compound does not seem to be high. For reasons attributed to the mode of action, difethialone must be handled with precautions as other anticoagulants for which Vitamin Kj is the antidote. In the event of an accidental poisoning, an antidotal therapy plan is proposed. The lower levels of active ingredient in finished baits (25 ppm) should pose a low risk to non-target species.

Trends, drivers and impacts of changes in swidden cultivation in tropical forest-agriculture frontiers: A global assessment

This meta-analysis of land-cover transformations of the past 10-15 years in tropical forest-agriculture frontiers world-wide shows that swidden agriculture decreases in landscapes with access to local, national and international markets that encourage cattle production and cash cropping, including biofuels. Conservation policies and practices also accelerate changes in swidden by restricting forest clearing and encouraging commercial agriculture. However, swidden remains important in many frontier areas where farmers have unequal or insecure access to investment and market opportunities, or where multi-functionality of land uses has been preserved as a strategy to adapt to current ecological, economic and political circumstances. In some areas swidden remains important simply because intensification is not a viable choice, for example when population densities and/or food market demands are low. The transformation of swidden landscapes into more intensive land uses has generally increased household incomes, but has also led to negative effects on the social and human capital of local communities to varying degrees. From an environmental perspective, the transition from swidden to other land uses often contributes to permanent deforestation, loss of biodiversity, increased weed pressure, declines in soil fertility, and accelerated soil erosion. Our prognosis is that, despite the global trend towards land use intensification, in many areas swidden will remain part of rural landscapes as the safety component of diversified systems, particularly in response to risks and uncertainties associated with more intensive land use systems. (C) 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

A continuously differentiable upwinding scheme for the simulation of fluid flow problems

This paper deals with the numerical solution of complex fluid dynamics problems using a new bounded high resolution upwind scheme (called SDPUS-C1 henceforth), for convection term discretization. The scheme is based on TVD and CBC stability criteria and is implemented in the context of the finite volume/difference methodologies, either into the CLAWPACK software package for compressible flows or in the Freeflow simulation system for incompressible viscous flows. The performance of the proposed upwind non-oscillatory scheme is demonstrated by solving two-dimensional compressible flow problems, such as shock wave propagation and two-dimensional/axisymmetric incompressible moving free surface flows. The numerical results demonstrate that this new cell-interface reconstruction technique works very well in several practical applications. (C) 2012 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Contrafreeloading in maned wolves: Implications for their management and welfare

Contrafreeloading occurs when animals spend time and effort to obtain food in the presence of freely available food. There are several interpretations for such an apparent contradiction to optimal foraging models, with an emphasis either on the need to gather and update information about the environment or on the value of performing species-typical responses. Evidence suggests that both gathering information about the environment and the expression of species-typical behaviour are important for the welfare of captive animals. The aim of the present study was to assess the existence of contrafreeloading in maned wolves (Chrysocyon brachyurus), in a situation where animals could get food directly from a "free" source and/or search and handle hidden food items, an alternative that requires more effort and is probably more similar to natural foraging conditions. Eight captive, pair-housed maned wolves were given weekly choice tests in which they could obtain food either by approaching the usual food tray in one section of the enclosure (Tray), and/or by searching for food at variable sites amongst the vegetation in the other section of the enclosure (Scattered). Results indicate that maned wolves spent more time in the Scattered than in the Tray section of the enclosure (P = 0.02) and that they obtained about half of the food from that section (48.54% +/- SE 0.69). Our results, the first to demonstrate contrafreeloading in maned wolves, have implications for the husbandry and welfare of this endangered species. (C) 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

ASSESSING Bemisia tabaci (GENN.) BIOTYPE B RESISTANCE IN SOYBEAN GENOTYPES: ANTIXENOSIS AND ANTIBIOSIS

Since it was first reported in Brazil in the 1990s, the B biotype of silverleaf whitefly (Bemisia tabaci [Genn.], Hemiptera: Aleyrodidae) has been recognized as an important pest in soybeans (Glycine max L.), reducing the productivity of this legume species in some areas of the country. As an alternative to chemical control, the use of resistant genotypes represents an important tool for integrated pest management (IPM). This study evaluated the performance of 10 soybean genotypes prior to whitefly infestation, by testing attractiveness and preference for oviposition in the greenhouse and antibiosis in the laboratory. In a multiple-choice test, 'IAC-17' was the least attractive to insects. In a no-choice test, 'IAC-17' was the least attractive for, egg deposition, indicating the occurrence of non-preference for oviposition on this genotype. Trichome density was positively correlated with the oviposition site and may be associated with the resistance of 'IAC-17' to infestation. The genotypes 'IAC-PL1', 'IAC-19', 'Conquista', 'IAC-24' and 'IAC-17' extended the insect's life cycle, indicating the occurrence of a small degree of antibiosis and/or non-preference for feeding.

Computer game-based and traditional learning method: a comparison regarding students’ knowledge retention

Abstract Background Educational computer games are examples of computer-assisted learning objects, representing an educational strategy of growing interest. Given the changes in the digital world over the last decades, students of the current generation expect technology to be used in advancing their learning requiring a need to change traditional passive learning methodologies to an active multisensory experimental learning methodology. The objective of this study was to compare a computer game-based learning method with a traditional learning method, regarding learning gains and knowledge retention, as means of teaching head and neck Anatomy and Physiology to Speech-Language and Hearing pathology undergraduate students. Methods Students were randomized to participate to one of the learning methods and the data analyst was blinded to which method of learning the students had received. Students’ prior knowledge (i.e. before undergoing the learning method), short-term knowledge retention and long-term knowledge retention (i.e. six months after undergoing the learning method) were assessed with a multiple choice questionnaire. Students’ performance was compared considering the three moments of assessment for both for the mean total score and for separated mean scores for Anatomy questions and for Physiology questions. Results Students that received the game-based method performed better in the pos-test assessment only when considering the Anatomy questions section. Students that received the traditional lecture performed better in both post-test and long-term post-test when considering the Anatomy and Physiology questions. Conclusions The game-based learning method is comparable to the traditional learning method in general and in short-term gains, while the traditional lecture still seems to be more effective to improve students’ short and long-term knowledge retention.

Effect of sodium hypochlorite and edta irrigation, individually and in alternation, on dentin microhardness at the furcation area of mandibular molars

The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of irrigation regimens on dentin microhardness at the furcation area of mandibular molars, using sodium hypochlorite and ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA), individually and in alternation. The occlusal surface and the roots of 20 non-carious extracted human permanent mandibular molars were cut transversally and discarded. The tooth blocks were embedded in acrylic resin and randomly assigned to 4 groups (n=5) according to the irrigating regimens: 1% NaOCl solution, 17% EDTA solution, 1% NaOCl and 17% EDTA and distilled water (control). Knoop microhardness of dentin at the furcation area was evaluated. Data were analyzed using one-way ANOVA and Tukey's multiple comparison tests (α=0.05). The results of this study indicated that all irrigation solutions, except for distilled water (control), decreased dentin microhardness. EDTA did not show a significant difference with NaOCl/EDTA (p>0.05), but showed a significant difference with NaOCl (p<0.01). EDTA and NaOCl/EDTA showed a maximum decrease in microhardness. The 17% EDTA solution, either alone or in combination with 1% NaOCl reduced significantly dentin microhardness at the furcation area of mandibular molars.

Learning for well being : Studies using the International Adult Literacy Survey

This thesis is a collection of five independent but closely related studies. The overall purpose is to approach the analysis of learning outcomes from a perspective that combines three major elements, namely lifelonglifewide learning, human capital, and the benefits of learning. The approach is based on an interdisciplinary perspective of the human capital paradigm. It considers the multiple learning contexts that are responsible for the development of embodied potential – including formal, nonformal and informal learning – and the multiple outcomes – including knowledge, skills, economic, social and others– that result from learning. The studies also seek to examine the extent and relative influence of learning in different contexts on the formation of embodied potential and how in turn that affects economic and social well being. The first study combines the three major elements, lifelonglifewide learning, human capital, and the benefits of learning into one common conceptual framework. This study forms a common basis for the four empirical studies that follow. All four empirical studies use data from the International Adult Literacy Survey (IALS) to investigate the relationships among the major elements of the conceptual framework presented in the first study. Study I. A conceptual framework for the analysis of learning outcomes This study brings together some key concepts and theories that are relevant for the analysis of learning outcomes. Many of the concepts and theories have emerged from varied disciplines including economics, educational psychology, cognitive science and sociology, to name only a few. Accordingly, some of the research questions inherent in the framework relate to different disciplinary perspectives. The primary purpose is to create a common basis for formulating and testing hypotheses as well as to interpret the findings in the empirical studies that follow. In particular, the framework facilitates the process of theorizing and hypothesizing on the relationships and processes concerning lifelong learning as well as their antecedents and consequences. Study II. Determinants of literacy proficiency: A lifelong-lifewide learning perspective This study investigates lifelong and lifewide processes of skill formation. In particular, it seeks to estimate the substitutability and complementarity effects of learning in multiple settings over the lifespan on literacy skill formation. This is done by investigating the predictive capacity of major determinants of literacy proficiency that are associated with a variety of learning contexts including school, home, work, community and leisure. An identical structural model based on previous research is fitted to the IALS data for 18 countries. The results show that even after accounting for all factors, education remains the most important predictor of literacy proficiency. In all countries, however, the total effect of education is significantly mediated through further learning occurring at work, at home and in the community. Therefore, the job and other literacy related factors complement education in predicting literacy proficiency. This result points to a virtual cycle of lifelong learning, particularly to how educational attainment influences other learning behaviours throughout life. In addition, results show that home background as measured by parents’ education is also a strong predictor of literacy proficiency, but in many countries this occurs only if a favourable home background is complemented with some post-secondary education. Study III. The effect of literacy proficiency on earnings: An aggregated occupational approach using the Canadian IALS data This study uses data from the Canadian Adult Literacy Survey to estimate the earnings return to literacy skills. The approach adapts a labour segmented view of the labour market by aggregating occupations into seven types, enabling the estimation of the variable impact of literacy proficiency on earnings, both within and between different types of occupations. This is done using Hierarchical Linear Modeling (HLM). The method used to construct the aggregated occupational classification is based on analysis that considers the role of cognitive and other skills in relation to the nature of occupational tasks. Substantial premiums are found to be associated with some occupational types even after adjusting for within occupational differences in individual characteristics such as schooling, literacy proficiency, labour force experience and gender. Average years of schooling and average levels of literacy proficiency at the between level account for over two-thirds of the premiums. Within occupations, there are significant returns to schooling but they vary depending on the type of occupations. In contrast, the within occupational return of literacy proficiency is not necessarily significant. The latter depends on the type of occupation. Study IV: Determinants of economic and social outcomes from a lifewide learning perspective in Canada In this study the relationship between learning in different contexts, which span the lifewide learning dimension, and individual earnings on the one hand and community participation on the other are examined in separate but comparable models. Data from the Canadian Adult Literacy Survey are used to estimate structural models, which correspond closely to the common conceptual framework outlined in Study I. The findings suggest that the relationship between formal education and economic and social outcomes is complex with confounding effects. The results indicate that learning occurring in different contexts and for different reasons leads to different kinds of benefits. The latter finding suggests a potential trade-off between realizing economic and social benefits through learning that are taken for either job-related or personal-interest related reasons. Study V: The effects of learning on economic and social well being: A comparative analysis Using the same structural model as in Study IV, hypotheses are comparatively examined using the International Adult Literacy Survey data for Canada, Denmark, the Netherlands, Norway, the United Kingdom, and the United States. The main finding from Study IV is confirmed for an additional five countries, namely that the effect of initial schooling on well being is more complex than a direct one and it is significantly mediated by subsequent learning. Additionally, findings suggest that people who devote more time to learning for job-related reasons than learning for personal-interest related reasons experience higher levels of economic well being. Moreover, devoting too much time to learning for personal-interest related reasons has a negative effect on earnings except in Denmark. But the more time people devote to learning for personal-interest related reasons tends to contribute to higher levels of social well being. These results again suggest a trade-off in learning for different reasons and in different contexts.

Rich media content adaptation in e-learning systems

The wide use of e-technologies represents a great opportunity for underserved segments of the population, especially with the aim of reintegrating excluded individuals back into society through education. This is particularly true for people with different types of disabilities who may have difficulties while attending traditional on-site learning programs that are typically based on printed learning resources. The creation and provision of accessible e-learning contents may therefore become a key factor in enabling people with different access needs to enjoy quality learning experiences and services. Another e-learning challenge is represented by m-learning (which stands for mobile learning), which is emerging as a consequence of mobile terminals diffusion and provides the opportunity to browse didactical materials everywhere, outside places that are traditionally devoted to education. Both such situations share the need to access materials in limited conditions and collide with the growing use of rich media in didactical contents, which are designed to be enjoyed without any restriction. Nowadays, Web-based teaching makes great use of multimedia technologies, ranging from Flash animations to prerecorded video-lectures. Rich media in e-learning can offer significant potential in enhancing the learning environment, through helping to increase access to education, enhance the learning experience and support multiple learning styles. Moreover, they can often be used to improve the structure of Web-based courses. These highly variegated and structured contents may significantly improve the quality and the effectiveness of educational activities for learners. For example, rich media contents allow us to describe complex concepts and process flows. Audio and video elements may be utilized to add a “human touch” to distance-learning courses. Finally, real lectures may be recorded and distributed to integrate or enrich on line materials. A confirmation of the advantages of these approaches can be seen in the exponential growth of video-lecture availability on the net, due to the ease of recording and delivering activities which take place in a traditional classroom. Furthermore, the wide use of assistive technologies for learners with disabilities injects new life into e-learning systems. E-learning allows distance and flexible educational activities, thus helping disabled learners to access resources which would otherwise present significant barriers for them. For instance, students with visual impairments have difficulties in reading traditional visual materials, deaf learners have trouble in following traditional (spoken) lectures, people with motion disabilities have problems in attending on-site programs. As already mentioned, the use of wireless technologies and pervasive computing may really enhance the educational learner experience by offering mobile e-learning services that can be accessed by handheld devices. This new paradigm of educational content distribution maximizes the benefits for learners since it enables users to overcome constraints imposed by the surrounding environment. While certainly helpful for users without disabilities, we believe that the use of newmobile technologies may also become a fundamental tool for impaired learners, since it frees them from sitting in front of a PC. In this way, educational activities can be enjoyed by all the users, without hindrance, thus increasing the social inclusion of non-typical learners. While the provision of fully accessible and portable video-lectures may be extremely useful for students, it is widely recognized that structuring and managing rich media contents for mobile learning services are complex and expensive tasks. Indeed, major difficulties originate from the basic need to provide a textual equivalent for each media resource composing a rich media Learning Object (LO). Moreover, tests need to be carried out to establish whether a given LO is fully accessible to all kinds of learners. Unfortunately, both these tasks are truly time-consuming processes, depending on the type of contents the teacher is writing and on the authoring tool he/she is using. Due to these difficulties, online LOs are often distributed as partially accessible or totally inaccessible content. Bearing this in mind, this thesis aims to discuss the key issues of a system we have developed to deliver accessible, customized or nomadic learning experiences to learners with different access needs and skills. To reduce the risk of excluding users with particular access capabilities, our system exploits Learning Objects (LOs) which are dynamically adapted and transcoded based on the specific needs of non-typical users and on the barriers that they can encounter in the environment. The basic idea is to dynamically adapt contents, by selecting them from a set of media resources packaged in SCORM-compliant LOs and stored in a self-adapting format. The system schedules and orchestrates a set of transcoding processes based on specific learner needs, so as to produce a customized LO that can be fully enjoyed by any (impaired or mobile) student.

Conoscenza e consapevolezza sugli effetti biologici degli ultrasuoni nella pratica clinica in Italia: risultati di una inchiesta con questionario tra ecografisti della socetà italiana di ultrasonologia in medicina e biologia (S.I.U.M.B.)

Background New potential hazards in the use of ultrasound (US) are implied in new diagnostic applications of US, such as contrast enhanced US. Aim To assess the level of awareness and knowledge on safety issues of clinical use of US among physicians who are members of the Italian National Society for Ultrasound (SIUMB) Materials and methods A questionnaire including 11 multiple choice quiz was sent by e-mail to members of SIUMB, who preliminarly agreed to participate in this initiative. The answers were received anonimously and statistically analyzed. Results The number of returned valid questionnaires was 97 (8 were considered not valid for less than 10 answers filled). Mean age of the responders was 44 years old, and the average time the physician has been performing ultrasound examinations was 13 years. The principal workplace (70%) was a public Hospital. Physicians seemed to know the general definitions of principal safety-parameters, but few of them knew the definition of specific indexes. There was a general knowledge about the safe use of ultrasound in obstetrics, but there was a poor knowledge of biological effects of US: only about 37% answered correctly to questions about damage of vasculature of lung by high Mechanical Index US investigation and about the increase of temperature under the probe, according to the thermal indexes. Conclusion In conclusion the present findings indicate that greater efforts of National Ultrasound Societies are warranted in disseminating knowledge about the bio-effects of diagnostic ultrasound modalities among their members to prevent possible hazards.