Behavior-based price discrimination in a multi-dimensional preferences market

NIPE WP 04/ 2016

Effects of a novel fermented soy product on the serum lipids of hypercholesterolemic rabbits

OBJECTIVE: To assess the effect of a new feed soy product fermented by Enterococcus faecium and Lactobacillus jugurti on the serum lipid levels of rabbits with induced hypercholesterolemia. METHODS: Thirty-two rabbits were divided into 4 groups as follows: 1) control (C); 2) hypercholesterolemic (H); 3) hypercholesterolemic + fermented product (HPF); and 4) control + fermented product (CPF). The H and HPF groups were fed with a diet with 0.15% (p/p) cholesterol in the first 15 days. C and CPF groups received regular food preparation. The HPF and CPF groups received 10 mL daily of the fermented 30 days. Blood samples were drawn at the beginning of the study and at the 15th and 30th days. Concentrations of total cholesterol, HDL-cholesterol, and triglycerides were analyzed. RESULTS: After 15 days, the HPF group showed a total cholesterol concentration lower (18.4%) than that of the H group (p=0.05), but this difference disappeared after 30 days. No change was observed in total cholesterol levels of C and CPF groups. After 15 days, the HDL-cholesterol was higher (17.8%) in the HPF group, but the triglyceride levels remained unchanged in all groups during the same period of time. CONCLUSION: The soy fermented product caused an 18.4% reduction in total cholesterol and a 17.8% increase in the HDL-fraction. It may, therefore, be a possible coadjutor in the treatment of hypercholesterolemia.

Acabamentos funcionais têxteis aplicados por estamparia digital em substratos têxteis ativados por plasma

Tese de Doutoramento em Engenharia Têxtil

Careers, identities and professionalization. A study on doctors about their social representations related to the labor market today and its foreseeable future

This study is in line with the analyses of university and working career in their interaction in relation with conditioning factors. It comprises two central issues: the issue of identity bound to the issue of professionalization within the domain of training and employment. Nowadays, professionalization of the individuals, inside a troubled occupational world, demands the implementation of mechanisms favoring the development of both the individuals and the institution in which they work. All this has an impact at the local, regional and even national levels. Three levels of analysis interplay from a sui generis perspective: macro-meso-micro-macro (Aparicio, 2005; 2007a; 2007b, 2013a, 2014, 2015 b, d – See the Three- Dimensional Spiral of Sense Theory). The aim was to be aware of the doctors’ representations regarding the value of such degree under the present “degree devaluation”, and its impact on the professional future as well as on the core issues of the labor market which need urgent measures with a view to a belter interaction between the two systems. The methodology used was quanti-qualitative (semi-structured questionnaires, interviews, and hierarchical evocations). The population consisted of doctors (2005-2012) from the National University of Cuyo, in Argentina. The results helped us understand the nucleus of such representations and the peripheral aspects by career and institution, thus revealing professional and disciplinary identities. The professional identities show the situated needs in terms of professionalization within the different contexts and, particularly, within the labor market.

QRS Voltage-Duration Product in the Identification of Left Ventricular Hypertrophy in Spontaneously Hypertensive Rats

OBJECTIVE - Evaluation of the performance of the QRS voltage-duration product (VDP) for detection of left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH) in spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR). METHODS - Orthogonal electrocardiograms (ECG) were recorded in male SHR at the age of 12 and 20 weeks, when systolic blood pressure (sBP) reached the average values of 165±3 mmHg and 195±12 mmHg, respectively. Age- and sex- matched normotensive Wistar Kyoto (WKY) rats were used as controls. VDP was calculated as a product of maximum QRS spatial vector magnitude and QRS duration. Left ventricular mass (LVM) was weighed after rats were sacrificed. RESULTS - LVM in SHR at 12 and 20 weeks of age (0.86±0.05 g and 1.05±0.07 g, respectively) was significantly higher as compared with that in WKY (0.65±0.07 g and 0.70±0.02 g). The increase in LVM closely correlated with the sBP increase. VDP did not reflect the increase in LVM in SHR. VDP was lower in SHR as compared with that in WKY, and the difference was significant at the age of 20 weeks (18.2mVms compared with 10.7mVms, p<0.01). On the contrary, a significant increase in the VDP was observed in the control WKY at the age of 20 weeks without changes in LVM. The changes in VDP were influenced mainly by the changes in QRSmax. CONCLUSION - LVM was not the major determinant of QRS voltage changes and consequently of the VDP. These data point to the importance of the nonspatial determinants of the recorded QRS voltage in terms of the solid angle theory.

In-line rheo-optical microstructural characterization of complex polymer systems

Tese de Doutoramento em Ciência e Engenharia de Polímeros e Compósitos.

How does banking industry influence economic growth in Latin American countries?

Mestrado em Finanças

Comportamento do consumidor no retalho : o impacto dos aromas

Mestrado em Marketing

O sexo e a Cidade e as marcas: análise dos efeitos do product placement nos jovens portugueses

Dissertação de Mestrado em Comunicação Social

Effects of selected post harvest processes on brown crab (Cancerpagurus L.) and European lobster (Homarus gammarus L.) from Irish Crustacean Fisheries

The crustacean fishery is important to the socio economics of rural and island communities around Ireland; with brown crab (Cancer pagurus) and European lobster (.Homarus gammarus) being the most valuable shellfish species. Brown crab and lobster are marketed live with the majority being exported from Ireland to southern Europe. Post capture processes used in Ireland are very subjective but promote fresh, live products. Common practices used in the crustacean fishery include nicking of brown crab and long term storage of lobster. This study showed that nicking resulted in elevated mean lactate levels of 17.90% (StDev ± 1.74) and elevated mean glucose levels of 120.55 % (StDev ± 0.26) with mean circulating bacteria levels 9 times greater in nicked crab. Nicking resulted in 96.3% increase in tissue necrosis and a subsequent reduction in product quality. These factors possibly compromise the host’s defense system, which may ultimately reduce the animal’s ability to cope with additional stressors caused by post-harvest processes. Long term storage allows lobster to be stored until the market is less saturated and prices are higher. This investigation found that some lobsters contracted bacterial biofilms as a result of long term storage. Bacteria isolated from biofilms were identified as Arcobacter and Campylobacterales with identity and alignment scores of 80% andd 88% respectively.

Approved Drug Products with Theurapeutic Equivalence Evaluation - 34th edition

The publication, Approved Drug Products with Therapeutic Equivalence Evaluations (the List, commonly known as the Orange Book), identifies drug products approved on the basis of safety and effectiveness by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) under the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (the Act). Drugs on the market approved only on the basis of safety (covered by the ongoing Drug Efficacy Study Implementation [DESI] review [e.g., Donnatal® Tablets and Librax® Capsules] or pre-1938 drugs [e.g., Phenobarbital Tablets]) are not included in this publication. The main criterion for the inclusion of any product is that the product is the subject of an application with an effective approval that has not been withdrawn for safety or efficacy reasons. Inclusion of products on the List is independent of any current regulatory action through administrative or judicial means against a drug product. In addition, the List contains therapeutic equivalence evaluations for approved multisource prescription drug products. These evaluations have been prepared to serve as public information and advice to state health agencies, prescribers, and pharmacists to promote public education in the area of drug product selection and to foster containment of health care costs. Therapeutic equivalence evaluations in this publication are not official FDA actions affecting the legal status of products under the Act.

Models and methods for supporting lot sizing decisions in product recovery systems

Magdeburg, Univ., Fak. für Wirtschaftswiss., Diss., 2011

Governmental start-up support in the light of allocative market failure : justification, analysis, and design

Magdeburg, Univ., Fak. für Wirtschaftswiss., Diss., 2011

Towards flexible feature composition : static and dynamic binding in software product lines

Magdeburg, Univ., Fak. für Informatik, Diss., 2011

Analysis and removal of code clones in software product lines

Magdeburg, Univ., Fak. für Informatik, Diss., 2013