Morphology of the first larval stage of Macrobrachium brasiliense (Heller, 1868) (Caridea: Palaemonidae)

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

Phylogenetic relationships of the globally distributed freshwater prawn genus Macrobrachium (Crustacea: Decapoda: Palaemonidae): biogeography, taxonomy, and the convergent evolution of abbreviated larval development

There has hitherto been little research into evolutionary and taxonomic relationships amongst species of the freshwater prawn genus Macrobrachium Bate across its global distribution. Previous work by the authors demonstrated that the endemic Australian species did not evolve from a single ancestral lineage. To examine whether other regional Macrobrachium faunas also reflect this pattern of multiple origins, the phylogeny of 30 Macrobrachium species from Asia, Central/South America and Australia was inferred from mitochondrial 16S rRNA sequences. Phylogenetic relationships demonstrate that, despite some evidence for regional diversification, Australia, Asia and South America clearly contain Macrobrachium species that do not share a common ancestry, suggesting that large-scale dispersal has been a major feature of the evolutionary history of the genus. The evolution of abbreviated larval development (ALD), associated with the transition from an estuarine into a purely freshwater lifecycle, was also mapped onto the phylogeny and was shown to be a relatively homoplasious trait and not taxonomically informative. Other taxonomic issues, as well as the evolutionary origins of Macrobrachium, are also discussed.

A business plan development: the case of a paint company in Douala Camroon by Bomboy & Friends

This paper presents a business plan to create a new company Bomboy & Friends regarding the Exclusive Distribution of a fully Eco Friendly Water-Soluble Anti- Corrosive Prime named Life Guard Active Rust Primer Paint abbreviated as “L.G.A.R.P Paint” in Douala Cameroon and the C.E.M.A.C Region. The lack of quality paint in Cameroon has given the opportunity for a company like Bomboy & Friends to nurture its existence and be part of a fast growing economy, providing a high quality paint competition, very economical, easy to prepare, environmentally friendly, compatible with other brands and accessible to medium and small size companies.

Neighborhood environment walkability scale : validity and development of a short form

Purpose : The aim of this study was to examine the factorial and criterion validity of the Neighborhood Environment Walkability Scale (NEWS) and to develop an abbreviated version (NEWS-A).

Methods : A stratified two-stage cluster sample design was used to recruit 1286 adults. The sample was drawn from residential addresses within eight high- and eight low-walkable neighborhoods matched for socioeconomic status. Subjects completed the NEWS and reported weekly minutes of walking for transport and recreation using items from the International Physical Activity Questionnaire.

Results : Multilevel confirmatory factor analysis was used to develop measurement models of the NEWS and NEWS-A. Six individual-level and five blockgroup-level factors were identified. Factors/scales gauging presence of diversity of destinations, residential density, walking infrastructure, aesthetics, traffic safety, and crime were positively related to walking for transport. Aesthetics, mixed destinations, and residential density were associated with walking for recreation.

Conclusions : The NEWS and NEWS-A possess adequate levels of factorial and criterion validity. Alternative methods of scoring for different purposes are presented.

Postembryonic development of Macrobrachium petronioi (Caridea : Palaemonidae) in the laboratory

Macrobrachium petronioi, a native Brazilian fresh-water shrimp, was captured along the coast of Rio Branco, Cananeia, São Paulo State, Brazil. The eggs were green-black in early development and the average size was 1.21 mm by 0.98 mm. Macrobrachium petronioi has no free-swimming larval phase. However, newly hatched larvae possessed several zoea I characters. Therefore, they were clearly more developed than newly hatched larvae of other species of Macrobrachium with prolonged larval development. The average duration of larval development in M. petronioi was 5.5 days. During early development, the larvae subsisted on stored yolk. After the third molt, the postlarvae accepted food. The three zoeal stages prior to the postlarval stage were described and characterized, with detailed morphological analyses. This species has a partially abbreviated type of development. The larval development of M. petronioi is distinguished from that of M. potiuna.

The impact of body mass index and gender on the development of infectious complications in polytrauma patients

Purpose The aim was to test the impact of body mass index (BMI) and gender on infectious complications after polytrauma. Methods A total of 651 patients were included in this retrospective study, with an Injury Severity Score (ISS) C16 and age C16 years. The sample was subdivided into three groups: BMI\25 kg/m2, BMI 25–30 kg/m2, and BMI[30 kg/m2, and a female and a male group. Infectious complications were observed for 31 days after admission. Data are given as mean ± standard errors of the means. Analysis of variance, Kruskal–Wallis test, v2 tests, and Pearson’s correlation were used for the analyses and the significance level was set at P\0.05. Results The overall infection rates were 31.0 % in the BMI\25 kg/m2 group, 29.0 % in the BMI 25–30 kg/m2 group, and 24.5 % in the BMI[30 kg/m2 group (P = 0.519). The female patients developed significantly fewer infectious complications than the male patients (26.8 vs. 73.2 %; P\0.001). The incidence of death was significantly decreased according to the BMI group (8.8 vs. 7.2 vs. 1.5 %; P\0.0001) and the female population had a significantly lower mortality rate (4.1 vs. 13.4 %; P\0.0001). Pearson’s correlations between the Abbreviated Injury Scale (AIS) score and the corresponding infectious foci were not significant. Conclusion Higher BMI seems to be protective against polytrauma-associated death but not polytrauma-associated infections, and female gender protects against both polytrauma- associated infections and death. Understanding gender-specific immunomodulation could improve the outcome of polytrauma patients.

Market-oriented new product development of health promoting foods for the ageing population

Major factors influencing food development and food marketing strategies in global market places at present can be attributable to the changing age structure of the population. The significant shifts in global age structure will inevitably lead to the number of people aged 60 reaching an all-time high of one billion by the year 2020. The rapidly growing population of ageing people globally represents a large, neglected and very much under-developed category within the Food Industry. The primary focus of this study was the integration of knowledge creation techniques at early NPD stages, for the development of market-oriented new health promoting foods for the ageing population. The methodology of this study was centered on an exploratory sequential mixed methods strategy. Stage one of the study involved in-depth semi-structured interviews with 16 Stakeholders to facilitate the need identification stage of the NPD process. The main outputs identified were the need for: the fortification of foods for a preventative nutrition approach, the development of foods that targeted age-related conditions such as cognitive, heart, gut and bone health, the integration of ageing compensatory packaging adaptations and the creation of marketing messages with an active lifestyle message. Stage two consisted of a market-oriented computer assisted NPD technique, a user centered design interaction (UCD) to integrate consumers as co-creators throughout the idea generation stage of the NPD process. The most important product attributes identified in this stage included: products targeted at brain and cognitive health, liquid based beverages, easy to use packaging with environmentally friendly elements, simplistic marketing with a clear focus on health not age and realistic health claims constructed with consumer friendly terminology. Finally, Stage three used an abbreviated means-end chain (MEC) analysis to complete the concept development stage of the NPD process. This stage identified commercial information that could be used by food firms for the development of positioning and communication strategies. Equally, the information generated could be of high strategic importance to governments, policy makers, health professionals and medical professionals. The values and goals listed in this stage included: better overall health, active lifestyle, optimum nutrition and wellbeing feelings. Overall, this research illustrated that knowledge creation techniques can assist firms in the development of market-oriented health promoting foods for the ageing population.

A multimedia mobile phone-based youth smoking cessation intervention: findings from content development and piloting studies

BACKGROUND: While most young people who smoke want to quit, few access cessation support services. Mobile phone-based cessation programs are ideal for young people: mobile phones are the most common means of peer communication, and messages can be delivered in an anonymous manner, anywhere, anytime. Following the success of our text messaging smoking cessation program, we developed an innovative multimedia mobile phone smoking cessation intervention.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of the study was to develop and pilot test a youth-oriented multimedia smoking cessation intervention delivered solely by mobile phone.

METHODS: Development included creating content and building the technology platform. Content development was overseen by an expert group who advised on youth development principles, observational learning (from social cognitive theory), effective smoking cessation interventions, and social marketing. Young people participated in three content development phases (consultation via focus groups and an online survey, content pre-testing, and selection of role models). Video and text messages were then developed, incorporating the findings from this research. Information technology systems were established to support the delivery of the multimedia messages by mobile phone. A pilot study using an abbreviated 4-week program of video and text content tested the reliability of the systems and the acceptability of the intervention.

RESULTS: Approximately 180 young people participated in the consultation phase. There was a high priority placed on music for relaxation (75%) and an interest in interacting with others in the program (40% would read messages, 36% would read a blog). Findings from the pre-testing phase (n = 41) included the importance of selecting "real" and "honest" role models with believable stories, and an interest in animations (37%). Of the 15 participants who took part in the pilot study, 13 (87%) were available for follow-up interviews at 4 weeks: 12 participants liked the program or liked it most of the time and found the role model to be believable; 7 liked the role model video messages (5 were unsure); 8 used the extra assistance for cravings; and 9 were happy with two messages per day. Nine participants (60%) stopped smoking during the program. Some technical challenges were encountered during the pilot study.

CONCLUSIONS: A multimedia mobile phone smoking cessation program is technically feasible, and the content developed is appropriate for this medium and is acceptable to our target population. These results have informed the design of a 6-month intervention currently being evaluated for its effectiveness in increasing smoking cessation rates in young people.