New approaches by highway agencies in dealing with road users

The context in which society develops has changed. The principles of democracy and human rights, in addition to the explosive development of communications, have encouraged citizens' desire for involvement in many areas which formerly had been the preserve of the State. This is also reflected in the attitudes of public utility customers, who are no longer prepared to accept mediocre service from the bodies responsible; on the contrary, they are increasingly putting pressure on those bodies, demanding better service in return for the charges they pay. Road agencies are no exception. They can no longer maintain their traditional isolation from the public and from users in areas such as decision-making or accountability for results achieved. Furthermore, it is no longer enough to provide road networks; these must be managed in such a way as to ensure improved levels of service, acceptable to users who are more and more demanding. This is why conventional styles of highway management have become unsatisfactory and new approaches are developing. There is a gradual increase in openness to the interests and views of users, who are increasingly considered as partners and participants in management. There are numerous examples in various countries, including those of Latin America, of this significant change; it is likely to cause a major transformation in the way in which public highways are managed. The innovations are recent, many of them still at the embryonic stage. A wide variety of concrete measures have been proposed or tried out. It is not yet possible to predict the size or scope of these changes, or which of them will ultimately become normal practice, but the changes have begun. The purpose of this article is to outline the principal changes which are being observed and the new outlook for road users.

Regional approaches to e-government initiatives in the Caribbean

This paper examines the potential benefits and challenges of regionally managed e-government development initiatives. It examines the current state of e-government in four Caribbean countries – Barbados, Jamaica, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, and Trinidad and Tobago – in order to establish a broader understanding of the challenges that face e-government initiatives in the region. It also reviews a number of e-government initiatives that have been undertaken through projects managed at a regional level. Based on this analysis, it presents a set of best practices that are recommended to agencies engaged in the task of coordinating the implementation of regionally-based e-government initiatives.

Abordagem geométrica: possibilidades para o ensino e aprendizagem de Introdução às Equações Diferenciais Ordinárias

Pós-graduação em Educação Matemática - IGCE

Clinical and microbiological changes after minimally invasive therapeutic approaches in intrabony defects: a 12-month follow-up

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

Comparative Analysis of Approaches for Assessing Energy Intake Underreporting by Female Bariatric Surgery Candidates

Objective: To test six variations in the Goldberg equation for evaluating the underreporting of energy intake (EI) among obese women on the waiting list for bariatric surgery, considering variations in resting metabolic rate (RMR), physical activity, and food intake levels in group and individual approaches.Methods: One hundred obese women aged 20 to 45years (33.3 6.08) recruited from a bariatric surgery waiting list participated in the study. Underreporting assessment was based on the difference between reported energy intake, indirect calorimetry measurements and RMR (rEI:RMR), which is compatible with the predicted physical activity level (PAL). Six approaches were used for defining the cutoff points. The approaches took into account variances in the components of the rEI:RMR = PAL equation as a function of the assumed PAL, sample size (n), and measured or estimated RMR.Results: The underreporting percentage varied from 55% to 97%, depending on the approach used for generating the cutoff points. The ratio rEI:RMR and estimated PAL of the sample were significantly different (p = 0.001). Sixty-one percent of the women reported an EI lower than their RMR. The PAL variable significantly affected the cutoff point, leading to different proportions of underreporting. The RMR measured or estimated in the equation did not result in differences in the proportion of underreporting. The individual approach was less sensitive than the group approach.Conclusion: RMR did not interfere in underreporting estimates. However, PAL variations were responsible for significant differences in cutoff point. Thus, PAL should be considered when estimating underreporting, and even though the individual approach is less sensitive than the group approach, it may be a useful tool for clinical practice.

Studying Close Approaches for a Cloud of Particles Considering Atmospheric Drag

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

Establishing erosion susceptibility: analytical hierarchical process and traditional approaches

This study evaluated alternatives for producing erosion susceptibility maps, considering different weight combinations for an environment's attributes, according to four different points of views. The attributes considered were landform, steepness, soils, rocks and land occupation. Considered alternatives were: (1) equal weights, more traditional approach, (2) different weights, according to a previous study in the area, (3) different weights, based on other works in the literature, and (4) different weights based on the analytical hierarchical process. The area studied included the Prosa Basin located in Campo Grande-Mato Grosso do Sul State, Brazil. The results showed that the assessed alternatives can be used together or in different stages of studies aiming at urban planning and decision-making on the interventions to be applied.

Diuron metabolites and urothelial cytotoxicity: In vivo, in vitro and molecular approaches

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)