A meta-analytical study about the relation of blood plasma addition in diets for piglets in the post-weaning and productive performance variables

The meta-analysis was used to evaluate the performance of piglets in post-weaning period, without imposition of sanitary challenge and fed diets containing blood plasma, obtained by spray-dried process (SDBP). Piglets are faced with normal challenges in post-weaning period such as environmental stress and the substitution of the liquid diet to a solid one. References regarding sanitary challenges were disregarded in this study. Only data regarding normal and expected challenges were considered. Data were obtained from indexed journals with information extracted from the material, methods and results sections of pre-selected scientific articles. First, the database was analyzed graphically to observe the distribution of data and presence of outliers. Afterwards correlation analysis and variance-covariance analyses were carried out. The database contained a total of 23 articles. The average initial weight of the piglets was 8.02. kg (4.00-9.28. kg) and the average initial age was 27 days (14-32 days). The average duration of feeding diets containing spray-dried blood plasma (SDBP) was 9 days (6-28 days). SDBP increased the feed conversion by 20.2% (P<0.05) during the initial period. Feed conversion during the total period was 10.2% higher (P<0.05) for animals fed with SDBP. Average daily weight gain and daily feed intake were not affected (P>0.05) during the entire period, but average daily gain was higher (P<0.05) for animals fed with SDBP during the initial period. The initial age of supplementation influenced the average daily weight gain and average daily feed intake of animals fed with SDBP. Better results were obtained than those obtained for animals up to 35 days of age fed diets without added SDBP supplementation. In early post-weaning period for piglets weaned up to 35 days of age, the SDBP supplementation positively influenced the average daily weight gain and feed conversion. © 2013 Elsevier B.V.

Estudiando pobreza: la meta de un sistema nacional de estadísticas

Includes bibliography

Estudo do crescimento da cana-de-açúcar através da meta-análise

Pós-graduação em Agronomia (Energia na Agricultura) - FCA

Processos de tomada de decisões na performance musical: influência das heurísticas e vieses na elaboração da performance

Pós-graduação em Música - IA

Heurísticas para o problema de dimensionamento de lotes capacitado com custo de transporte

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

Mortalidad en la niñez en la Argentina: disparidades regionales y sociales frente a la cuarta meta del Milenio

En este trabajo se analiza la mortalidad en la niñez en la Argentina. Se argumenta que las brechas entre regiones y entre grupos sociales obstaculizan el logro de la meta acordada en la Declaración del Milenio. Para mostrar la magnitud de esas brechas se usan datos administrativos y microdatos de dos fuentes: el Censo Nacional de Población, Hogares y Viviendas para una de las regiones con más elevada mortalidad (el Noroeste) y la Encuesta de Condiciones de Vida (ECV). A partir de las preguntas a las mujeres entre 15 y 49 años de edad sobre hijos nacidos e hijos sobrevivientes, se construyen indicadores de mortalidad y se analizan los determinantes de la mortalidad en los primeros años de vida.

Meta-análisis de las elasticidades ingreso y precio de la demanda de gasolina: implicaciones de política pública para América Latina

El objetivo de este artículo es estimar, mediante un meta-análisis, el valor promedio de las elasticidades ingreso y precio de la demanda de gasolinas y analizar las causas de la variación en las elasticidades reportadas en la literatura. Los resultados muestran que existe un sesgo de publicación, que la volatilidad de las estimaciones de las elasticidades no se debe exclusivamente a errores de muestreo y que existen factores sistemáticos que explican estas diferencias. Las elasticidades ingreso y precio de la demanda de gasolinas son distintas en el corto y largo plazo, por regiones, y son susceptibles de incluirse en la estimación la flota vehicular y el precio de bienes substitutos, los tipos de datos y métodos de estimación utilizados. La presencia de una baja elasticidad precio sugiere que un impuesto a los combustibles, en un entorno de rápido crecimiento económico, será insuficiente para controlar el aumento del consumo.

Resultados da FIV/ICSI após o desenvolvimento do embrião humano em baixa concentração de oxigênio: uma meta-análise

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

Meta-analysis of the income and price elasticities of gasoline demand: public policy implications for Latin America

By means of a meta-analysis, this article sets out to estimate average values for the income and price elasticities of gasoline demand and to analyse the reasons for the variations in the elasticities reported by the literature. The findings show that there is publication bias, that the volatility of elasticity estimates is not due to sampling errors alone, and that there are systematic factors explaining these differences. The income and price elasticities of gasoline demand differ between the short and long run and by region, and the estimation can appropriately include the vehicle fleet and the prices of substitute goods, the data types and the estimation methods used. The presence of a low price elasticity suggests that a fuel tax will be inadequate to control rising consumption in a context of rapid economic growth.

Heurísticas especializadas aplicadas ao problema de carregamento de contêiner

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Planejamento da expansão de sistemas de transmissão usando a metaheurística de busca em vizinhança variável

Pós-graduação em Engenharia Elétrica - FEIS

Algoritmos culturais com abordagem memética e multipopulacional aplicados a problemas de otimização

Em muitos problemas de otimização há dificuldades em alcançar um resultado ótimo ou mesmo um resultado próximo ao valor ótimo em um tempo viável, principalmente quando se trabalha em grande escala. Por isso muitos desses problemas são abordados por heurísticas ou metaheurísticas que executam buscas por melhores soluções dentro do espaço de busca definido. Dentro da computação natural estão os Algoritmos Culturais e os Algoritmos Genéticos, que são considerados metaheurísticas evolutivas que se complementam devido ao mecanismo dual de herança cultura/genética. A proposta do presente trabalho é estudar e utilizar tais mecanismos acrescentando tanto heurísticas de busca local como multipopulações aplicados em problemas de otimização combinatória (caixeiro viajante e mochila), funções multimodais e em problemas restritos. Serão executados alguns experimentos para efetuar uma avaliação em relação ao desempenho desses mecanismos híbridos e multipopulacionais com outros mecanismos dispostos na literatura de acordo com cada problema de otimização aqui abordado.

Gradiente latitudinal de riqueza de espécies e regra de Rapoport: uma meta análise

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

An alternative approach to deal with the absence of clinical trials: a proportional meta-analysis of case series studies

PURPOSE: Systematic reviews are criticized for frequently offering inconsistent evidences and absence of straightforward recommendations. Their value seems to be depreciated when the conclusions are uncertain. To describe an alternative approach of evaluating case series studies in health care when there is absence of clinical trials. METHODS: We provide illustrations from recent experiences. Proportional meta-analysis was performed on surgical outcomes: (a) case series studies, (b) use of cryoablation or radiofrequency ablation, and (c) patients with small renal cell carcinoma. The statistically significant difference between both interventions studied was defined if their combined 95% confidential interval (CI) did not overlap. RESULTS: As demonstrated by the example, this analysis is an alternative approach to provide some evidence of the intervention´s effects under evaluation and plotting all available case series in the absence of clinical trials for the health field. CONCLUSIONS: Although we are leading to a low level of evidence to determine efficacy, effectiveness and safety of interventions this alternative approach can help surgeons, physicians and health professionals for a provisionally decision in health care along with their clinical expertise and the patient´s wishes and circumstances in the absence of high-quality primary studies. It´s not a replacement for the gold standard randomized clinical trial, but an alternative analysis for clinical research.

A lei seca cumpriu sua meta em reduzir acidentes relacionados à ingestão excessiva de álcool?

OBJECTIVE: To assess whether the Brazilian Driving Dry Law reached its goal after the three years following its enactment. METHODS: We onnducted a retrospective study of patients with craniofacial fractures who underwent surgery at a university hospital in two periods: before the Law (2005 to 2008) and after the Law (2008 to 2011). RESULTS: 265 patients (220 men and 45 women) were operated on during this period, 149 (56%) before and 116 (44%) after the Law, which indicates a reduction in the number of traumatisms (p=0.04). The age range between 19 and 40 years predominated in both periods. The main causes of traumas were car accidents, physical aggression and falls. Alcohol abuse was identified in 15.4% patients before and 19% patients after the enactment. The jaw and the maxillo-zygomatic complex were the most affected bones. CONCLUSION: The drop in the number of polytraumatized patients operated on at this institution in the three years following the Driving Dry Law was 22%, which is below the expected and desired percentage. These results must be compared to those of different services offering the same attendance type in order to compile data and enlarge statistics. The low index of reduction in the number of traumatisms and the report of alcohol abuse by several patients at the moment of trauma, even after the law, evidence the need of adopting stricter measures to control and punish violators.