Year in review 2005: Critical Care – resource management

During 2005 Critical Care published several original papers dealing with resource management. Emphasis was placed on sepsis, especially the coagulation cascade, prognosis and resuscitation. The papers highlighted important aspects of the pathophysiology of coagulation and inflammation in sepsis, as well as dealing with the proper use of newly developed compounds. Several aspects of prognosis in critically ill patients were investigated, focusing on biological markers and clinical indexes. Resuscitation received great attention, dealing with the effects of fluid infusion in hemodynamics and the lung. The information obtained can be used to address unknown effects of established therapies, to enlighten current clinical discussion on controversial topics, and to introduce novel medical resources and strategies. Future clinical work will rely heavily on these preclinical and laboratory data

Year in review 2007: Critical Care – intensive care unit management

With the development of new technologies and drugs, health care is becoming increasisngly complex and expensive. Governments and health care providers around the world devote a large proportion of their budgets to maintaining quality of care. During 2007, Critical Care published several papers that highlight important aspects of critical care management, which can be subdivided into structure, processes and outcomes, including costs. Great emphasis was given to quality of life after intensive care unit stay, especially the impact of post-traumatic stress disorder. Significant attention was also given to staffing level, optimization of intensive care unit capacity, and drug cost-effectiveness, particularly that of recombinant human activated protein C. Managing costs and providing high-quality care simultaneously are emerging challenges that we must understand and meet

The evolving story of medical emergency teams in quality improvement

Adverse events affect approximately 3% to 12% of hospitalized patients. At least a third, but as many as half, of such events are considered preventable. Detection of these events requires investments of time and money. A report in a recent issue of Critical Care used the medical emergency team activation as a trigger to perform a prospective standardized evaluation of charts. The authors observed that roughly one fourth of calls were related to a preventable adverse event, which is comparable to the previous literature. However, while previous studies relied on retrospective chart reviews, this study introduced the novel element of real-time characterization of events by the team at the moment of consultation. This methodology captures important opportunities for improvements in local care at a rate far higher than routine incident-reporting systems, but without requiring substantial investments of additional resources. Academic centers are increasingly recognizing engagement in quality improvement as a distinct career pathway. Involving such physicians in medical emergency teams will likely facilitate the dual roles of these as a clinical outreach arm of the intensive care unit and in identifying problems in care and leading to strategies to reduce them

Manejo de poda de minicepas para propagação massal de mirtilo

The objective of this work was to evaluate the influence of the pruning management of mini-stumps of the Climax blueberry cultivar, when weekly fertigated, on the productivity of the clonal mini-garden and on the rooting and root vigor of the mini-cuttings. The high survival of the mini-stumps (100%) and production of the mini-cuttings (182.9 mini-cuttings per square meter per month) evidence the high adaptability of the material to successive samplings and to the nutritional conditions provided to the clonal mini-garden, resulting in a high multiplication rate. The rooting percentages obtained at the different samplings remain stable, with a high average of rooted mini-cuttings, reaching 81.7%.O objetivo deste trabalho foi avaliar a influência do manejo de poda de minicepas da cultivar Climax de mirtilo, quando fertirrigadas semanalmente, sobre a produtividade do minijardim clonal e sobre o enraizamento e o vigor radicial das miniestacas. As elevadas sobrevivência das minicepas (100%) e produção de miniestacas (182,9 miniestacas por metro quadrado por mês) evidenciam a boa adaptação do material às coletas sucessivas e às condições nutricionais fornecidas ao minijardim clonal, o que resultou em alta taxa de multiplicação. Os percentuais de enraizamento obtidos nas diferentes coletas se mantêm estáveis, com média elevada de miniestacas enraizadas, que alcança 81,7%

Efeitos da Percepção de Riscos em Operações em Mercados Futuros: o caso de Produtores de Café Robusta em Cacoal, Rondônia

Dissertação apresentada ao Programa de Pós-Graduação Mestrado em Administração da Universidade Federal de Rondônia, como requisito final para a obtenção do título de Mestre em Administração.Tendo reconhecimento que a comercialização em mercados futuros é um dos mecanismos de proteção utilizados como saída para a minimização de riscos, buscou-se nesse artigo analisar o efeito da percepção de riscos dos produtores sobre a decisão de operação em mercados futuros. Buscou-se na literatura temas sobre a Teoria da Utilidade Esperada, Teoria do Prospecto, Finanças Comportamentais, Percepção de Risco e Excesso de Confiança. A estratégia concebida, para realização do trabalho, foi a de pesquisa de campo, por meio de aplicação de questionários semi-estruturados, sendo classificada como exploratória descritiva. Os produtores estavam localizados no município de Cacoal nas linhas 21, Eletrônica e Figueira. Ao todo, foi possível entrevistar 24 proprietários rurais. Chamou a atenção o fato de a grande maioria dos produtores serem de descendência pomerana. O questionário inicia com um questionamento aberto sobre o que os produtores rurais entendem como risco. No que tange as finanças comportamentais, interessou-se especificamente com o documentado excesso de confiança como superestimação de previsões futuras. Quanto à teoria prospectiva, ofereceram-se aos produtores rurais duas possibilidades de escolhas diante de quatro situações. Uma escolha no campo dos ganhos e outra no campo das perdas. Entre os resultados, pôde-se perceber que poucos produtores conhecem o mecanismo de mercados futuros, o que já se esperava, todavia, há uma propensão em atuar nesse mercado para aproximadamente metade dos produtores. Percebeu-se, também a presença de excesso de confiança, qual seja, os produtores estimam que na safra seguinte, os preços praticados serão superiores àqueles dessa safra, sendo que aqueles que mais superestimam são os menos desejosos em atuar em mercados futuros. Viu-se também que, conforme a literatura, os produtores buscam a segurança no campo dos ganhos, mas assume riscos no campo das perdas. Especificamente, aqueles que não são propensos em atuar em mercados futuros são os que mais assumem riscos. Quando perguntado sobre decisão de atuação em mercados futuros e o uso do mecanismo por meio cooperativo, a grande maioria, inclusive boa parte dos que não desejariam atuar em mercados futuros prefeririam atuar coletivamente ao invés de individualmente. Uma conclusão interessante é o fato de aqueles que demonstram ter excesso de confiança, não são apenas os menos desejosos em atuar em mercados futuros, mas também aqueles que mais assumem riscos no campo das perdas, o que significa que apenas a aversão ao risco e assimetria de informação não são suficientes para explicar a racionalidade dos produtores rurais. Por fim, a busca pelo associativismo pode vir a ser solução, haja vista a grande proporção daqueles operariam em mercados futuros por meio cooperativo, mesmo a associação que atualmente os reúne, não satisfaça seus anseios

El diseño como modelo de formación emprendedora en educación universitaria

El escenario de la formación emprendedora en Brasil, todavía se presenta como una acción secundaria en las instituciones de enseñanza superior. La complejidad de esta formación pasa por características personales, culturales y técnicas diversas y, desarrollar tales capacidades durante la formación de un profesional es una tarea compleja, reforzada por la fragmentación académica de cada campo específico de actuación. Con el objetivo de colaborar con un modelo capaz de proporcionar una solución para esta deficiencia de los currículos diversificados y rígidos en el modelo educativo brasileño, este estudio buscó investigar de qué forma el diseño puede contribuir como un recurso objetivo para la formación superior emprendedora. Para ello, el estudio de caso fue realizado en una institución de enseñanza superior brasileña, con característica filantrópica, que se sitúa en la región de la Leopoldina en el Estado de Río de Janeiro.The entrepreneurship training in Brazil is still a secondary action in higher education institutions. The complexity of this training goes through diverse personal, cultural and technical characteristics. The developing of such skills during the training of a professional is a complex task, reinforced by the academic fragmentation of each specific field of activity. Seeking to collaborate with a solution to this deficiency of the diversified and rigid curricula in the Brazilian educational model, this study sought to investigate in what way the design can contribute as an objective resource for the superior entrepreneurial formation. Therefore, the case study was carried out in a Brazilian higher education institution, with philanthropic characteristics, located in the region of Leopoldina, state of Rio de Janeiro.O cenário da formação empreendedora no Brasil ainda se apresenta como uma ação secundária nas instituições de ensino superior. A complexidade desta formação passa por características pessoais, culturais e técnicas diversas e, desenvolver tais capacidades durante a formação de um profissional é uma tarefa complexa, reforçada pela fragmenta- ção acadêmica de cada campo específico de atuação. Buscando colaborar com um modelo capaz de proporcionar uma solução para esta defici- ência dos currículos diversificados e rígidos no modelo educacional brasileiro, este estudo buscou investigar de que forma o design pode contribuir como um recurso objetivo para a formação superior empreendedora. Para tanto, o estudo de caso foi realizado em uma instituição de ensino superior brasileira, com característica filantrópica, que se situa na região da Leopoldina no Estado do Rio de Janeiro

Canopy insect herbivores in the Azorean Laurisilva forests: key host plant species in a highly generalist insect community

Copyright © ECOGRAPHY 2005.This article explores patterns of insect herbivore distribution in the canopy of the Laurisilva forests on seven islands in the Azores archipelago. To our knowledge, this is one of the first extensive studied of this type in tree or shrub canopies of oceanic island ecosystems. One of the most frequently debated characteristics of such ecosystems is the likely prevalence of vague, ill-defined niches due to taxonomic disharmony, which may have implications for insect-plant interactions. For instance, an increase in ecological opportunities for generalist species is expected due to the lack of predator groups and reduced selection for chemical defence in host plants. The following two questions were addressed: 1) Are specialists rare species, and insect herbivore species randomly distributed among host plant species in the Azores? 2) Are the variances in insect herbivore species composition, frequency and richness explained by host plants or by regional island effects? We expect a proportional distribution of herbivore species between host plants, influenced by host frequency and distinct island effects; otherwise, deviation from expectation might suggest habitat preference for specific host tree crowns. Canopy beating tray samples were performed on seven islands, comprising 50 transects with 1 to 3 plant species each (10 replicates per species), giving 1320 samples from ten host species trees or shrubs in total. From a total of 129 insect herbivore species, a greater number of herbivore species was found on Juniperus brevifolia (s=65) and Erica azorica (s=53). However, the number of herbivore species per individual tree crown was higher for E. azorica than for any other host, on all islands, despite the fact that it was only the fourth more abundant plant. In addition, higher insect species richness and greater insect abundance were found on the trees of Santa Maria Island, the oldest in the archipelago. Insect species composition was strongly influenced by the presence of E. azorica, which was the only host plant with a characteristic fauna across the archipelago, whereas the fauna of other plant crowns was grouped by islands. The great insect occurrence on E. azorica reflects strong habitat fidelity, but only four species were clearly specialists. Our findings indicate a broadly generalist fauna. The simplicity of Azorean Laurisilva contributed to the understanding of insect-plant mechanisms in canopy forest habitats

Aggregation Index in Representative Soils of the Paraiba State: Brazil in Different Stages of Pedological Development

The stability of soil aggregates is an important physical parameter as it mainly influences the flow of water and air in the soil. In this sence, the research aimed to determine the stability aggregates index in six representative soil classes in the Paraíba State-Brazil at different stages of pedological development. The soil classes analyzed is localized on the Microregions of the Curimataú Occidental (Ferrasol, Planosol, Leptosol, Arenosol) and Brejo Paraibano (Acrisol, Lixisol), on the Paraíba state, Brazil. At depths of 0-5 cm, 5-10 cm and 10-20 cm was collected three undeformed soil samples were collected per mini trench (one per depth), making a total of 15 samples per soil class and 90 total samples.  In each soil class was analysed: chemical parameters, granulometrics parameters, stability of agregates,  Weighted average diameter via wet sieving (DMPAu) and Weighted average diameter via dry sieving (DMPAs); agregate stability index (IEA). For the conditions that research was developed can conclude that: The IEA values tended to increase with clay contents in all soil classes; Among the less developed soils, the IEA values were better in the  Planosol soil, denoting that there is a probable relationship with the low contents of K, Na and Al; In the more developed soils, the high values of Na and Al may have contributed to the lower IEA in the PVd, while the lower values may have contributed to the higher IEA in Ferrasol and Lixisol soils

Optimiranje podloge za proizvodnju β-galaktozidaze iz soja kvasca Kluyveromyces marxianus CCT 7082

Seven strains of the genus Kluyveromyces were screened for β-galactosidase activity in a synthetic medium. Kluyveromyces marxianus CCT 7082 was selected as the best enzyme producer for optimization of the culture medium. A fractional factorial design 2^(4-1) was used to determine the most relevant variables of the culture medium composition for the enzyme production. The parameters studied were the concentrations of lactose, yeast extract and (NH4)2SO4 as well as pH, and all were shown to have significant effects on the production of the enzyme. Based on the results from the first factorial design, lactose, yeast extract and (NH4)2SO4 concentrations were selected to be utilized in a 2³ central composite rotatable design (CCRD). This led to a further optimization of the fermentation conditions to achieve higher enzyme activities, which reached 10.6 U/mL.Ispitana je aktivnost β-galaktozidaze u sedam sojeva vrste Kluyveromyces u sintetskoj podlozi. Za optimiranje podloge odabran je soj Kluyveromyces marxianus CCT 7082 koji je proizveo najviše enzima. Pri određivanju najznačajnijih varijabla sastava podloge za proizvodnju enzima primijenjen je reducirani faktorski plan 2^(4-1). Istraženi su sljedeći parametri: koncentracija laktoze, kvaščeva ekstrakta i (NH4)2SO4 te pH-vrijednost, pa je utvrđeno da svi parametri značajno utječu na proizvodnju enzima. Prema rezultatima prvoga faktorskog plana, za izradu 2³ centralno složenog rotacijskog plana odabrani su koncentracija laktoze, kvaščeva ekstrakta i (NH4)2SO4. Daljnjim optimiranjem uvjeta fermentacije postignuta je veća aktivnost enzima, i to čak do 10,6 U/mL

Brazilian sandy beaches: characteristics, ecosystem services, impacts, knowledge and priorities

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)Sandy beaches constitute a key ecosystem and provide socioeconomic goods and services, thereby playing an important role in the maintenance of human populations and in biodiversity conservation. Despite the ecological and social importance of these ecosytems, Brazilian sandy beaches are significantly impacted by human interference, chemical and organic pollution and tourism, as well as global climate change. These factors drive the need to better understand the environmental change and its consequences for biota. To promote the implementation of integrated studies to detect the effects of regional and global environmental change on beaches and on other benthic habitats of the Brazilian coast, Brazilian marine researchers have established The Coastal Benthic Habitats Monitoring Network (ReBentos). In order to provide input for sample planning by ReBentos, we have conducted an intensive review of the studies conducted on Brazilian beaches and summarized the current knowledge about this environment. In this paper, we present the results of this review and describe the physical, biological and socioeconomics features of Brazilian beaches. We have used these results, our personal experience and worldwide literature to identify research projects that should be prioritized in the assessment of regional and global change on Brazilian sandy beaches. We trust that this paper will provide insights for future studies and represent a significant step towards the conservation of Brazilian beaches and their biodiversity.Sandy beaches constitute a key ecosystem and provide socioeconomic goods and services, thereby playing an important role in the maintenance of human populations and in biodiversity conservation. Despite the ecological and social importance of these ecosyt642516CNQP - CONSELHO NACIONAL DE DESENVOLVIMENTO CIENTÍFICO E TECNOLÓGICOCAPES - COORDENAÇÃO DE APERFEIÇOAMENTO DE PESSOAL DE NÍVEL SUPERIORFAPESP - FUNDAÇÃO DE AMPARO À PESQUISA DO ESTADO DE SÃO PAULOConselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)563367/2010-5SEM INFORMAÇÃO2010/52323-0As praias brasileiras fornecem bens e serviços ecossistêmicos fundamentais, desempenhando papel importante para a manutenção de populações humanas e para a conservação da biodiversidade. Entretanto, apesar da sua importância ecológica e social, essas praiWe would like to thank Thalita Forroni, who contributed to the bibliographic study, and Ana Tereza Lyra Lopes and Emanuelle Fontenele Rabelo, who provided valuable information. Special thanks are due to Dr. Alexander Turra for his support and valuable su