Infrastructure, integration and equity: The social impact of the health and public transportation infrastructure.

Academicians and practitioners generally agree that there is a positive correlation between more and better infrastructure and economic growth. From the broader perspective of development, attempts have been made in the literature to identify the different theoretical connections and the empirical patterns that link infrastructure to productivity, on the one hand, and those that link it to social inclusion and equity, on the other hand. Infrastructure contributes to development in different ways. The capital involved is not homogeneous, nor is its effect on the distributive aspects. Water and sanitation have a particularly strong association with the health of the general population and with infant mortality, early childhood health, learning abilities and the acquisition of labour skills. With respect to transportation, the reduction of costs and travel times has a direct economic impact on economic activities of production and domestic and international distribution. That infrastructure also has a social and distributive role to play by reducing the number of fatal accidents and serious injuries in the sectors that are naturally most susceptible to them, namely, the poor. Under the broad umbrella of infrastructure, we can include a number of facilities that make possible the provision of certain services. Some of these facilities require very significant fixed capital investments; some of them are residential, while others are not necessarily. What they all have in common is the existence of networks (transportation, wiring, pipelines) and a strong convergence of physical capital and/or technology, as well as the need for major investments in periodic maintenance.

Road maintenance, funds and fund management

This edition of the Bulletin deals with road maintenance, funds and fund management. Among other things, it emphasizes, the need to manage road funds in accordance with clear performance rules which seek to minimize maintenance costs and ensure that the road network is maintained in an appropriate condition.

Latin America and the Caribbean in the World Economy 2014: Regional integration and value chains in a challenging external environment

The 2014 edition of Latin America and the Caribbean in the World Economy: Regional integration and value chains amid challenging external conditions has four chapters. Chapter I examines the main features of the international context and their repercussions for world and regional trade. Chapter II looks at Latin American and Caribbean participation in global value chains and confirms that the region, with the exception of Mexico and Central America, has only limited linkages with the three major regional value chains of Asia, Europe and North America. This chapter also looks at how participation in value chains may contribute to more inclusive structural change, by analysing three core microeconomic aspects. Chapter III identifies various spheres in which regional integration and cooperation can help strengthen production integration between the economies of Latin America and the Caribbean. The fourth chapter explores the intra- and extraregional trade relations of the countries of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) and considers how to strengthen production integration in the subregion by taking advantage of linkages beyond trade and building on commercial and production complementarities among the members. The chapter also reviews the differences between the countries in terms of income, population and production and export structure, in a context of marked macroeconomic vulnerability.

Age of No-Till System and Nitrogen Management on Common Bean Nutrition and Yield

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

Differential environmental impacts on small and medium size rivers from center of São Paulo State, Brazil, and regional management perspectives

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

The effects of land use and soil management on the physical properties of an Oxisol in Southeast Brazil

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

Clinical and surgical management of an aggressive cherubism treated with autogenous bone graft and calcitonin

Cherubism is a rare autosomal-dominant inherited syndrome and is usually self-limiting; it starts in early childhood and involutes by puberty. It is a benign fibroosseous disease, characterized by excessive bone degradation of the upper and lower jaws followed by development of fibrous tissue masses. The purpose of this clinical report is to describe a rare and aggressive form of cherubism on an adult female patient that has been treated in our Bioscience Center for Special Health Care Needs-CEBAPE. The patient was firstly submitted to the surgical procedure with partial curettage of the lesion, and the cavity was filled with autogenous cancellous bone and bone marrow grafts. Furthermore, the support treatment used was the administration of salmon calcitonin by nasal spray during the first year after the preconized procedure. At 4-year followup, we confirmed the stomatognathic system improvement and esthetic rehabilitation, which led to a significant increase in the patient's quality of life.

Productivity, Leaf Nutrient Content and Soil Carbon Stocked in Agroforestry and Traditional Management of Maize (Zea mays L.)

The aim of the work was to evaluate the productivity, leaf nutrient content and soil nutrient concentration in maize (Zea mays L.) grown in sequence with black oats (Avena strigosa Schreb.) under Leucaena diversifolia alley cropping agroforestry system (AFS) and traditional management system/sole crop (without trees-TS), after two years of cultivation following a randomized block design. The experiment was carried out in the Brazilian Association of Biodynamic Agriculture, in Botucatu—S?o Paulo, Brazil. Treatments were: control (C), chemical fertilizer application (F), biomass of L. diversifolia alley cropping application (B), biomass of L. diversifolia alley cropping + chemical fertilizer application (B + F). In the second year of management it was observed that black oat yield was higher in treatments B + F and F with significant difference in relation to the others treatments in both systems, followed by treatment B. Between systems, only treatment B showed significant difference, with higher yield value corresponding to AFS, reflecting the efficiency of AFS to promote soil fertility. Maize production presented the second year of cultivation an increasing trend in all treatments in both production systems. This result may be due to the cumulative effect of mineralization and maize straw and oats, along the experiment. How productivity was higher in the AFS system, could also be occurring effect of biological nitrogen fixation, water retention and reduction of extreme microclimate through the rows of L. diversifolia. Comparing the AFS and TS, it was observed that the concentration of N in leaf tissue was higher in the AFS treatments, probably due to nitrogen fixation performed through the rows of L. diversifolia, that is a nitrogen fixing tree species. After two years, carbon stocked in soil show higher values in the treatments biomass + fertilizer and biomass application, in both systems, AFS and TS.

Feral swine damage and damage management in forested ecosystems

Invasive feral swine (Sus scrofa) cause deleterious impacts to ecosystem processes and functioning throughout their worldwide distribution, including forested ecosystems in the United States. Unfortunately, many feral swine damage management programs are conducted in a piecemeal fashion, are not adequately funded, and lack clearly stated or realistic objectives. This review paper identifies damage caused by feral swine to forest resources and presents techniques used to prevent and control feral swine damage. Concluding points related to planning a feral swine damage management program are: (1) the value of using a variety of techniques in an integrated fashion cannot be overstated; (2) there is value in using indices for both feral swine populations and their damage pre and post management activities; (3) innovative technologies will increasing be of value in the pursuit of feral swine damage reduction; and (4) though not appropriate in every situation, there is value in involving the public in feral swine damage management decisions and activities.

Prenatal detection and postnatal management of an intranasal glioma

Nasal gliomas are rare benign congenital midline tumors composed of heterotopic neuroglial tissue. They have potential for intracranial extension through a bony defect in the skull base. Neuroimaging is essential for identifying nasal lesions and for determining their exact location and any possible intracranial extension. Computed tomography is often the initial imaging study obtained because it provides good visualization of the bony landmarks of the skull base; it is not, however, well suited for soft tissue imaging. Magnetic resonance imaging has better soft tissue resolution and may be the best initial study in patients seen early in life because the anterior skull base consists of an unossified cartilage and may falsely appear as if there is a bony dehiscence on computed tomography. A frontal craniotomy approach is recommended if intracranial extension is identified, followed by a transnasal endoscopic approach for intranasal glioma. A case is presented of a huge fetal facial mass that was shown by ultrasound that protruded through the left nostril at 33 weeks of gestation. Computed tomography of the neonate suggested a transethmoidal encephalocele. Magnetic resonance imaging showed a huge mass occupying the nasopharynx and the nasal cavity and protruding externally to the face but ruled out bony discontinuity in the skull base and, therefore, any intracranial connection. The infant underwent an endoscopic resection of the mass via oral and nasal routes and pathologic examination revealed intranasal glioma. (C) 2012 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Periodontal Manifestations and Ambulatorial Management in a Patient With Sturge Weber Syndrome

Sturge-Weber syndrome is a nonhereditary congenital condition characterized by leptomeningeal and facial skin angiomatous malformation following the trigeminal nerve path. The intraoral angiomatosis are presented in 40% of cases and results in an important periodontal alteration, increasing the risk of bleeding during dental procedures. A 43-year-old male patient presented with port wine stain on the right side of the face, the entire hard and soft palates, the alveolar ridge, and buccal mucosa, and had an excessive accumulation of calcified masses in both supragingival and subgingival sites, with swelling and generalized inflammation throughout the gingiva and alveolar mucosa. He reported not having sanitized the area for years for fear of bleeding. Periodontal management, to remove calculus and to control gingivitis initiated in the supragingival region and gradually reaching the subgingival region to control oral microbiota, was performed with mild bleeding. The redness of the staining greatly diminished with time and the extreme halitosis of the patient also improved sharply leading to a dramatic improvement in quality of life. Ambulatory care is a feasible alternative for periodontal management that within safety limits for bleeding risks reduces the operational cost.

Determination of trace elements in bovine semen samples by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry and data mining techniques for identification of bovine class

The reproductive performance of cattle may be influenced by several factors, but mineral imbalances are crucial in terms of direct effects on reproduction. Several studies have shown that elements such as calcium, copper, iron, magnesium, selenium, and zinc are essential for reproduction and can prevent oxidative stress. However, toxic elements such as lead, nickel, and arsenic can have adverse effects on reproduction. In this paper, we applied a simple and fast method of multi-element analysis to bovine semen samples from Zebu and European classes used in reproduction programs and artificial insemination. Samples were analyzed by inductively coupled plasma spectrometry (ICP-MS) using aqueous medium calibration and the samples were diluted in a proportion of 1:50 in a solution containing 0.01% (vol/vol) Triton X-100 and 0.5% (vol/vol) nitric acid. Rhodium, iridium, and yttrium were used as the internal standards for ICP-MS analysis. To develop a reliable method of tracing the class of bovine semen, we used data mining techniques that make it possible to classify unknown samples after checking the differentiation of known-class samples. Based on the determination of 15 elements in 41 samples of bovine semen, 3 machine-learning tools for classification were applied to determine cattle class. Our results demonstrate the potential of support vector machine (SVM), multilayer perceptron (MLP), and random forest (RF) chemometric tools to identify cattle class. Moreover, the selection tools made it possible to reduce the number of chemical elements needed from 15 to just 8.

Diaphragmatic pacing stimulation in spinal cord injury: anesthetic and perioperative management

OBJECTIVE: The standard therapy for patients with high-level spinal cord injury is long-term mechanical ventilation through a tracheostomy. However, in some cases, this approach results in death or disability. The aim of this study is to highlight the anesthetics and perioperative aspects of patients undergoing insertion of a diaphragmatic pacemaker. METHODS: Five patients with quadriplegia following high cervical traumatic spinal cord injury and ventilator-dependent chronic respiratory failure were implanted with a laparoscopic diaphragmatic pacemaker after preoperative assessments of their phrenic nerve function and diaphragm contractility through transcutaneous nerve stimulation. ClinicalTrials.gov:NCT01385384. RESULTS: The diaphragmatic pacemaker placement was successful in all of the patients. Two patients presented with capnothorax during the perioperative period, which resolved without consequences. After six months, three patients achieved continuous use of the diaphragm pacing system, and one patient could be removed from mechanical ventilation for more than 4 hours per day. CONCLUSIONS: The implantation of a diaphragmatic phrenic system is a new and safe technique with potential to improve the quality of life of patients who are dependent on mechanical ventilation because of spinal cord injuries. Appropriate indication and adequate perioperative care are fundamental to achieving better results.