Impactos da adoção da INTERNET na hotelaria : a percepção dos gerentes de hotéis de médio e grande porte de Natal / RN

The hotel industry is increasingly using the Internet like a management and operational tool. That way, the hotels will be more prepared to offer quality services to their guests and increase their profits as well. However, many managers seem don t perceive the advantages brought from this new digital environment. This thesis analyse the effects of the hotel managers perceptions as for the Internet effectiveness, Internet access, Internet as a communication tool, future importance of the Internet, benefits and drawbacks of the Internet, according to property type (simple, medium comfort and luxe), property size (quantity of the apartaments), age and hotel industry experience of the managers. The methodology utilized was a survey about the hotels that had at least 40 apartments (medium and big property size), were working in Natal-RN and classified in categories in the Guia Quatro Rodas Brasil, totalizing 35 hotels. Through the analysis of variance (ANOVA) and Tukey test, the results showed that the hotel managers with more than 50 apartments, the managers of the hotel more comfortable, the younger managers and the managers less experient in the hotel industry, demonstrated more conscious about the importance of the adoption of the Internet than the rest of the others. The contribution of this work is to offer more knowledge to the hotel executives about how they can use the Internet and show the importance of the web adoption in their properties

The Impact of Domestic Politics and International Changes on the Brazilian Perception of Regional Integration

This article aims to analyze the impact of domestic politics and international changes that influence Brazilian positions regarding regional integration processes in South America, particularly the Southern Common Market, Mercosur. The dynamics of the international system and their impact on the evolution of the elite's perception of the role the country should play in the world are important variables for understanding these positions. The state's postures in relation to integration were and are based on a real interest, but this interest is also linked with the objective of ensuring better conditions for participation in other international arenas. Starting with the hypothesis that transformations in the international setting have strongly influenced Brazil's positioning, the elements of continuity and change in the country's behavior toward Mercosur are identified, with domestic politics as the main explanation.

Sidestream cigarette smoke effects on cardiovascular responses in conscious rats: involvement of oxidative stress in the fourth cerebral ventricle

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

Comparison of the cardio-respiratory effects of methadone and morphine in conscious dogs

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

Quality of life and stimulus perception in patients' rehabilitated with complete denture

The objective of this study was to evaluate and correlate quality of life (QoL), and stimulus perception of complete denture users, before and after the insertion of new prostheses. We selected 60 patients using bimaxillary complete conventional dentures who needed to replace their prostheses. During anamnesis, we collected demographic data and applied the Oral Health Impact Profile for Edentulous Patients (OHIP-EDENT) questionnaire and stimulus perception questionnaire (PERCEPTION). Before installation of new prostheses, the patients responded to OHIP-EDENT questionnaire, and on the day of installation, they responded to PERCEPTION questionnaire. At the patients 3-month follow-up, we re-administered the OHIP-EDENT and PERCEPTION questionnaires. The Wilcoxon and MacNemar tests were used to compare patient responses between the time points analysed. Most of the OHIP-EDENT items showed a highly significant impact of the new prostheses on oral health (P = 0.003). The PERCEPTION questionnaire data indicated that the patients experienced significant improvements (P < 0.05) in terms of their sensations with the new prostheses. Cross-lagged data analysis did not show any causality between the OHIP-EDENT and PERCEPTION questionnaires (ZPF test, P = 0.772). We concluded that the treatment was effective with respect to the patients QoL and their adaptation to the new prostheses.

EVALUATION OF THE PERCEPTION TOWARDS RESEARCH INVOLVING HUMAN BEINGS IN BRASILEAN POST DEGREE STUDENTS

In Brazil, research involving human beings must obey to ethical norms foresaw by the 196/96 National Health Council Resolution of the Ministry of Health. This paper gives account of a knowledge evaluation about some concepts and rules established by the resolution by Dental post degree students. It is concluded that in spite of the spreading and importance of the resolution most students do not know about it. In the same situation are those who work in research.

Lateral hypothalamus lesions influences water and salt intake, and sodium and urine excretion, and arterial blood pressure induced by L-NAME and FK 409 injections into median preoptic nucleus in conscious rats

Male Holtzman rats weighting 200-250 g were anesthetized with zoletil 50 mg/Kg (tiletamine chloridrate 125,0 mg and zolazepan chloridrate 125,0 mg) into quadriceps muscle and submitted an electrolytic lesion of the lateral hypothalamus (LH) and a stainless steel cannula was implanted into their median preoptic nucleus (MnPO). We investigated the effects of the injection into the (MnPO) of FK 409 (20 mug/0.5 mul), a nitric oxide (NO) donor, and N-W-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester (L-NAME) 40 mug/0.5 mul, a nitric oxide synthase inhibitor (NOSI), on the water and sodium appetite and the natriuretic, diuretic and cardiovascular effects induced by injection of L-NAME and FK 409 injected into MnPO in rats with LH lesions. Controls were injected with a similar volume of 0.15 M NaCl. L-NAME injected into MnPO produced an increase in water and sodium intake and in sodium and urine excretion and increase de mean arterial pressure (MAP). FK 409 injected into MnPO did not produce any change in the hydro electrolytic and cardiovascular parameters in LH-sham and lesioned rats. FK 409 injected before L-NAME attenuated its effects. These data show that electrolytic lesion of the LH reduces fluid and sodium intake as well as sodium and urine excretion, and the pressor effect induced by L-NAME. LH involvement with NO of the MnPO excitatory and inhibitory mechanisms related to water and sodium intake, sodium excretion and cardiovascular control is suggested. (C) 2004 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Prevalence of dog intestinal parasites and risk perception of zoonotic infection by dog owners in São Paulo State, Brazil

Coprological examination was used to estimate the prevalence of gastrointestinal parasites in stray and domiciled dogs from Botucatu, São Paulo State, Brazil. Risk factors for dog infection were assessed in relation to demographic, husbandry and management data. The dog owners completed a questionnaire survey on some aspects of dog parasitism such as parasite species, mechanisms of infection, awareness of zoonotic diseases and history of anthelmintic usage. Parasites were found in the faeces of 138 dogs, with an overall prevalence of 54.3%. Dogs harbouring one parasite were more common (31.4%) than those harbouring two (18.5%), three (3.2%) or four (1.2%). The following parasites and their respective frequencies were detected: Ancylostoma (37.8%), Giardia (16.9%), Toxocara canis (8.7%), Trichuris vulpis (7.1%), Dipylidium caninum (2.4%), Isospora (3.5%), Cryptosporidium (3.1%) and Sarcocystis (2.7%). Stray dogs were found more likely to be poliparasitized (P < 0.01) and presented higher prevalence of Ancylostoma, T. canis and Giardia (P < 0.01) than domiciled ones. Toxocara canis was detected more frequently in dogs with < 6 months of age (P < 0.05) and no effect of sex or breed could be observed (P > 0.05). Except for Ancylostoma, that showed a significantly higher prevalence in dogs living in a multi-dog household (P < 0.01), parasite prevalences were similar in single- and multi-dog household. The answers of dog owners to the questionnaire showed that the majority does not know the species of dog intestinal parasites, the mechanisms of transmission, the risk factors for zoonotic infections, and specific prophylactic measures. The predominance of zoonotic species in dogs in the studied region, associated with the elevated degree of misinformation of the owners, indicates that the risk of zoonotic infection by canine intestinal parasite may be high, even in one of the most developed regions of Brazil.

Plant pigments: the many faces of light perception

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

Perception-action and adaptation in postural control of children and adolescents with cerebral palsy

The aim of this study was to examine the coupling between visual information and body sway and the adaptation in this coupling of individuals with cerebral palsy (CP). Fifteen children with and 15 without CP. 6-15 years old, were required to stand upright inside of a moving room. All children first performed two trials with no movement of the room and eyes open or closed, then four trials in which the room oscillated at 0.2 or 0.5 Hz (peak velocity of 0.6 cm/s), one trial in which the room oscillated at 0.2 Hz (peak velocity of 3.5 cm/s), and finally two other trials in which the room oscillated again at 0.2 Hz (peak velocity of 0.6 cm/s). Participants with CP coupled body sway to visual information provided by the moving room, comparable to the coupling of participants without CP. However, participants with CP exhibited larger body sway in maintaining upright position and more variable sway when body sway was induced by visual manipulation. They showed adaptive sensory motor coupling, e.g. down-weighting visual influence when a larger stimulus was provided, but not with the same magnitude as typically developing participants. This indicates that participants with CP have less capability of adaptation. (C) 2011 Published by Elsevier Ltd.

The Perception of Smile Attractiveness Variations from Esthetic Norms, Photographic Framing and Order of Presentation

Objectives: To evaluate the attractiveness of a smile according to variations from esthetic norms, photographic framing, and the order of the presentation of photographs.Materials and Methods: A photograph of an individual was selected and digitally manipulated to create the following smiles: an ideal control smile (I), a smile with diastema (D1), a smile with midline deviation (LM3), a smile with deviation from the long axes of the lateral incisors (10D), and a smile with an inverted smile arc (LSRV). The manipulated photographs were developed in framings of the face and of the mouth and evaluated by 20 laypeople. For half the evaluators, the presentation started with facial photographs and, for the other half, the presentation began with the mouth shots. Evaluators were asked to rank the photographs from the least to the most attractive; then, each photograph was awarded a mark (scale of 0.0 to 10.0).Results: In both presentations, the smiles I, LM3, 10D, and LSRV received favorable ratings, whereas the D1 smile got poor ratings. The photographic framings used (face vs mouth) and the order of presentation of the photographs did not influence the rankings.Conclusion: The absence of variations from beauty norms of a smile has a positive impact on its esthetic perception, but variations from the norms do not necessarily result in reduced attractiveness. (Angle Orthod. 2009;79:634-639.)

Suggestion of an inverse relationship between perception of occupational risks and work-related injuries

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