Opportunity for All: How the American Public Benefits From Internet Access at U.S. Libraries

Examines the use of free computer and Internet access in public libraries, by income level, age, race/ethnicity, and online activity. Explores libraries' role as a community resource for social media, education, employment, e-government, and other areas

Webexpert – tool for knowledge acquisition by web

Knowledge acquisition for systems based on knowledge can be called knowledge engineering, according to Feigenbaum (1980) who used the term to describe the reduction of a wide context of knowledge for a set of facts and rules. The term Knowledge Engineer started to be used to denote the responsible person by development of such systems. The basic function of Knowledge Engineering is to play the role of mediator between the expert and the Knowledge Base, to extract the knowledge from the expert, to codify the same in contribution with the expert to reach an acceptable performance.Eje: Sistemas inteligentesRed de Universidades con Carreras en Informática (RedUNCI

Fourth age and extreme old age: replacement of polypharmacy by a controlled-release hydromorphone tablet to control chronic pain

JUSTIFICATIVA E OBJETIVOS: Cerca de 4,5 milhões de pessoas terão idade superior a 80 anos até 2020. Frequentemente, esta população necessita de polifarmácia para o controle da dor. O objetivo deste estudo foi avaliar a eficácia, custo e segurança da administração única, diária de hidromorfona de liberação controlada em pacientes com idade > 80 anos. MÉTODO: Oito pacientes (82 a 89 anos, quarta idade), e dois pacientes (93 e 99 anos, velhice extrema) foram avaliados. Todos utilizavam opioides, antidepressivos, anti-inflamatórios não esteroides, paracetamol e anticonvulsivantes para o controle da dor. Todos os fármacos com finalidade analgésica foram substituídos por um comprimido diário de 8 mg de hidromorfona de liberação controlada (OROS). Dor e efeitos adversos foram avaliados. RESULTADOS: O número de comprimidos diários para controle da dor diminuiu de 6-7 para um de hidromorfona. Houve diminuição da sensação de mal estar gástrico matinal, secundária à ingestão de grande número de comprimidos. Não foram relatadas náusea ou indisposição. Não foi relatada sonolência diária, sendo que os pacientes referiram melhor padrão de sono. CONCLUSÃO: A substituição da polifarmácia por um comprimido diário de hidromorfona melhorou o padrão analgésico, com baixa incidência de efeitos adversos em pacientes idosos, portadores de dor crônica, podendo ser considerada como uma boa alternativa para o controle da dor e a melhora da qualidade de vida desta população.BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Approximately 4.5 million people will have more than 80 years of age by 2020. Very often, this population needs polypharmacy to control pain. This study aimed at evaluating the effectiveness, cost and safety of a single daily dose of controlled-release hydromorphone in patients aged > 80 years. METHOD: Eight patients (82 to 89 years old, fourth age) and two patients (93 and 99 years old, extreme old age) were evaluated. All were under opioids, antidepressants, non-steroid anti-inflammatory drugs, paracetamol and anticonvulsants to control pain. All analgesic drugs were replaced by a daily 8 mg tablet of controlled-release hydromorphone (OROS). Pain and adverse effects were evaluated. RESULTS: The number of daily tablets to control pain was decreased from 6-7 to one hydromorphone tablet. The morning gastric malaise sensation, secondary to the ingestion of a large number of tablets has decreased. There were no nausea or distemper. There were no reports on daily sleepiness and patients have referred a better sleeping pattern. CONCLUSION: Replacing polypharmacy by a daily hydromorphone tablet has improved the analgesic pattern, with low incidence of adverse effects in elderly patients with chronic pain and it may be considered a good alternative to control pain and improve quality of life of this population

Sistema especialista difuso aplicado ao processo de analise quimica qualitativa de amostras de minerais

Dissertação (mestrado) - Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina, Centro TecnologicoA análise química qualitativa de minerais baseia-se em análises de amostras de características físicas e químicas. Muitas considerações realizadas pelo químico são de natureza imprecisa. Tal tipo de incerteza é difícil de ser tratada por modelos tradicionais. Para modelar o processo de análise química qualitativa de amostras de minerais, um sistema especialista baseado em lógica difusa é proposto e desenvolvido em Fuzzy CLIPS. O código fonte do sistema desenvolvido está incluído em um disquete

Diagtur ambiente inteligente para análise de inventários turísticos

Tese (doutorado) - Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina, Centro Tecnológico.O objetivo deste trabalho é desenvolver um ambiente inteligente com base em redes neurais artificiais e análise multicritério, para auxiliar a tomada de decisão em investimentos turísticos. Para isto utilizou-se técnicas de inteligência artificial tais como redes neurais e análise multicritério difusa, pois para satisfazer as novas necessidades do mercado, as empresas têm que recorrer aos avanços tecnológicos que se produzem em todos os campos relacionados com o contato entre o cliente e a empresa. Dentre estas tecnologias encontram-se os sistemas de apoio à tomada de decisão em turismo. Como a matéria prima para o desenvolvimento de sistemas de apoio à tomada de decisão é a informação e esta é adquirida à partir dos dados, bem como formalizá-los em um modelo comum. Ter um banco de dados alimentado e gerenciar os dados nele contidos não apresenta potencialmente um diferencial estratégico. É necessário vasculhar estes dados e definir como padrões válidos, úteis e compreensíveis. Tal tarefa é um processo não trivial de identificação e requer a utilização de técnicas avançadas de tratamento de dados. Utilização de redes neurais permite que os dados sejam tratados de maneira mais precisa, uma vez que não apresenta os problemas encontrados pelos métodos estatísticos, tais como: imprecisão na determinação da distribuição que seja melhor representa uma variável; problemas relativos à representatividade da amostra e sua seleção. Pela natureza altamente complexa do turismo, a utilização de métodos de análise multicritério para tomada de decisão são de grande valia, para se alcançar um resultado satisfatório

The Impact of the Quality of Nutrition and Lifestyle in the Reproductive Years of Women with PKU on the Long-Term Health of Their Children

Funding Information: Conflicts of Interest: A.P. has received an educational grant from Cambrooke Therapeutics and grants from Vitaflo, Nutricia, MerckSerono, Biomarin, and Mevalia to attend scientific meetings. A.D. has received research funding and financial support from Nutricia and Vitaflo to attend study days and conferences; Vitaflo has funded a PhD advisory member for APR., and J.C.R. is a member of the European Nutritionist Expert Panel (Biomarin), the Advisory Board for Applied Pharma Research and Nutricia, and received honoraria as a speaker from APR, MerckSerono, Biomarin, Nutricia, Vitaflo, Cambrooke, PIAM, and Lifediet. A.M. has received research funding and honoraria from Nutricia, Vitaflo International, Metax, Applied Pharma Research, and Biomarin. She is a member of the advisory board entitled ELEMENT (Danone-Nutricia) and Applied Pharma Research. Publisher Copyright: © 2022 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.A woman’s nutritional status before and during pregnancy can affect the health of her progeny. Phenylketonuria (PKU), a rare disorder causing high blood and brain phenylalanine (Phe) concentrations, is associated with neurocognitive disability. Lifelong treatment is mainly dietetic with a Phe-restricted diet, supplemented with a low-Phe protein substitute. Treatment adherence commonly decreases in adolescence, with some adults ceasing dietary treatment. In maternal PKU, elevated blood Phe is harmful to the fetus so a strict Phe-restricted diet must be re-established preconception, and this is particularly difficult to achieve. A woman’s reproductive years introduces an opportunity to adopt healthier behaviours to prepare for successful pregnancies and positive health outcomes for both themselves and their children. Several factors can influence the health status of women with PKU. Political, socioeconomic, and individual food and lifestyle choices affect diet quality, metabolic control, and epigenetics, which then pre-condition the overall maternal health and long-term health of the child. Here, we reflect on a comprehensive approach to treatment and introduce practical recommendations to optimize the wellbeing of women with PKU and the resultant health of their children.publishersversionpublishe

A 3 year longitudinal prospective review examining the dietary profile and contribution made by special low protein foods to energy and macronutrient intake in children with phenylketonuria

The nutritional composition of special low protein foods (SLPFs) is controlled under EU legislation for ‘Foods for Special Medical Purposes (FSMP)’. They are designed to meet the energy needs of patients unable to eat a normal protein containing diet. In phenylketonuria (PKU), the macronutrient contribution of SLPFs has been inadequately examined. Aim: A 3-year longitudinal prospective study investigating the contribution of SLPFs to the macronutrient intake of children with early treated PKU. Methods: 48 children (27 boys) with a mean recruitment age of 9.3 y were studied. Semi-quantitative dietary assessments and food frequency questionnaires (FFQ) were collected three to four times/year for 3 years. Results: The mean energy intake provided by SLPFs was 33% (SD ± 8), and this figure was 42% (SD ± 13) for normal food and 21% (SD ± 5) for protein substitutes (PS). SLPFs supplied a mean intake of 40% carbohydrate (SD ± 10), 51% starch (SD ± 18), 21% sugar (SD ± 8), and 38% fat (SD ± 13). Fibre intake met 83% of the Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition (SACN) reference value, with 50% coming from SLPFs with added gums and hydrocolloids. Low protein bread, pasta and milk provided the highest energy contribution, and the intake of sweet SLPFs (e.g., biscuits, cakes, and chocolate) was minimal. Children averaged three portions fruit/vegetable daily, and children aged ≥ 12 y had irregular meal patterns. Conclusion: SLPFs provide essential energy in phenylalanine restricted diets. Optimising the nutritional quality of SLPFs deserves more attention.publishersversionpublishe

Evaluación clínica y de laboratorio de cetamina transdérmica, del fentanyl transdérmico, de la clonidina transdérmica o de sus asociaciones en el dolor lumbar crónico

OBJECTIVES: chronic low back pain may result in central sensitization, with involvement of different receptors. The aim of this study was to evaluate the analgesic action of transdermal (T) ketamine (a NMDA antagonist), clonidine (an &#945;2-agonist), fentanyl (an opioid agonist), or their combination in chronic low back pain. METHODS: after the institutional approval and informed consent signature, 54 patients were prospectively randomized into 6 groups. Each patient had two of the T preparations applied in different arms. The effect of either T ketamine (1 mg/h), T clonidine (25 µg/h) or T fentanyl (25 µg/h), combined with T placebo (CloG, KetG and FenG); or the combination of T ketamine and clonidine (Ket-CloG), T fentanyl and ketamine (Fen-KetG), or T fentanyl and clonidine (Fen-CloG) was searched for pain and adverse effects. Pain was evaluated by: 1) VAS pain scores, and 2) noradrenaline plasma levels at 0-h (just prior to T application), 3- and 6-h after the T application of two medications, by HPLC. RESULTS: clinically, the pain VAS score at 6-h was smaller in comparison to the 0-h in all groups (p<0.02), and lower when compared to the Fen-CloG and Fen-KetG at the 6-h in relation to the administration of each correspondent T drug alone (p<0.05). The laboratorial data revealed that administration of T fentanyl alone (FenG) resulted in plasma noradrenaline decrease at 6-h (p<0.01), while the association of T fentanyl with clonidine resulted in plasma noradrenaline decrease at 3- and 6-h as compared to the others (p<0.01). The combination of both T ketamine and clonidine (Ket-CloG) did not result in a better analgesic profile and resulted in excessive sedation during the evaluation (p<0.02). CONCLUSIONS: all the studied drugs resulted in clinical analgesia (VAS) at 6-h. However, T fentanyl analgesia was corroborated by lower plasma noradrenaline levels at 6-h when applied alone or at 3-h when combined with T clonidine.OBJETIVOS: a dor lombar crônica pode resultar em sensibilização central, com a participação de diferentes tipos de receptores. O objetivo deste estudo foi avaliar a ação analgésica por via transdérmica (T) do fentanil, cetamina, clonidina ou suas associações para o alívio da dor lombar crônica. MÉTODOS: após aprovação do Comitê de Ética em Pesquisa e assinatura do termo de consentimento livre e esclarecido, 54 pacientes foram avaliados de forma prospectiva, aleatória e duplamente-encoberta, sendo divididos em 6 grupos. Cada paciente recebeu duas preparações por via transdérmica, aplicadas em braços diferentes (T cetamina (1 mg/h), T clonidina (25 µg/h) ou T fentanil (25 µg/h), associados a T placebo (CloG, CetG and FenG); ou a associação de T cetamina e clonidina (Cet-CloG), T fentanil e cetamina (Fen-CetG), ou T fentanil e clonidina (Fen-CloG). A analgesia e a incidência de efeitos adversos foram avaliadas. A analgesia foi avaliada com: 1) VAS-cm, e 2) níveis plasmáticos de noradrenalina às 0-h (antes da aplicação T), 3- e 6-h após a aplicação T, com HPLC. RESULTADOS: clinicamente, os valores de VAS as 6-h foram menores comparados ao tempo de 0-h para todos os grupos (p<0,02), e menores para o Fen-CloG e Fen-CetG às 6-h em relação à administração de cada droga T isolada (p<0,05). A administração de fentanil T (FenG) resultou em diminuição dos níveis de noradrenalina plasmática às 6-h (p<0,01), enquanto a associação de fentanil T com clonidina T resultou em diminuição de noradrenalina plasmática às 3-h e 6-h em comparação aos demais grupos (p<0.01). A combinação de cetamina e clonidina (Cet-CloG) não ofereceu melhor perfil analgésico e resultou em sedação excessiva (p<0,02). CONCLUSÕES: todos os grupos apresentaram melhora clínica (VAS) da dor às 6-h. Entretanto, somente quem recebeu fentanil T apresentou níveis plasmáticos de noradrenalina mais baixos às 6-h (quando combinado com placebo) e às 3-h quando associado à clonidina T.OBJETIVOS: el dolor lumbar crónico puede resultar en sensibilización central, con la participación de diferentes tipos de receptores. El objetivo de este estudio fue evaluar la acción analgésica por vía transdérmica (T) del fentanyl, cetamina, clonidina o sus asociaciones en dolor lumbar crónico. MÉTODOS: después de la aprobación por el Comité de Ética en Investigación y Consentimiento, 54 pacientes fueron evaluados de forma prospectiva, aleatoria e duplamente-ciego siendo divididos en seis grupos. Cada paciente recibió dos preparaciones por vía transdérmica, aplicadas en brazos diferentes (T cetamina (1 mg/h), T clonidina (25 µg/h) o T fentanyl (25 µg/h), asociados a T placebo (CloG, CetG y FenG); o la asociación de T cetamina y clonidina (Cet-CloG), T fentanyl y cetamina (Fen-CetG), o T fentanyl y clonidina (fen-CloG). La analgesia y la incidencia de efectos adversos fueron evaluadas. La analgesia fue evaluada con: 1) VAS-cm, y 2) niveles plasmáticos de noradrenalina a las 0 hora (antes de la aplicación T), tres y seis horas después de la aplicación T, con HPLC. RESULTADOS: clínicamente los valores de VAS a las seis horas fueron menores comparados a 0 hora para todos los grupos (p<0,02), y menores para el Fen-CloG y Fen-CetG a las seis horas después de la administración de cada droga T aislada (p<0,05). La administración de fentanyl T (Feng) resultó en disminución de los niveles de noradrenalina plasmática a las seis horas (p<0,01). La combinación de cetamina y clonidina (Cet-CloG) no ofreció mejor perfil analgésico y resultó en sedación excesiva (p<0,02). CONCLUSIONES: todos los grupos presentaron mejoría clínica (VAS) del dolor a las seis horas. Sin embargo, solamente quien recibió fentanyl T presentó menores niveles plasmáticos de noradrenalina a las seis horas (cuando combinado con placebo) y a las tres horas cuando asociado con clonidina T

The Impact of the Use of Glycomacropeptide on Satiety and Dietary Intake in Phenylketonuria

Protein is the most satiating macronutrient, increasing secretion of gastrointestinal hormones and diet induced thermogenesis. In phenylketonuria (PKU), natural protein is restricted with approximately 80% of intake supplied by a synthetic protein source, which may alter satiety response. Casein glycomacropeptide (CGMP-AA), a carbohydrate containing peptide and alternative protein substitute to amino acids (AA), may enhance satiety mediated by its bioactive properties. AIM: In a three-year longitudinal; prospective study, the effect of AA and two different amounts of CGMP-AA (CGMP-AA only (CGMP100) and a combination of CGMP-AA and AA (CGMP50) on satiety, weight and body mass index (BMI) were compared. METHODS: 48 children with PKU completed the study. Median ages of children were: CGMP100; (n = 13), 9.2 years; CGMP50; (n = 16), 7.3 years; and AA (n = 19), 11.1 years. Semi-quantitative dietary assessments and anthropometry (weight, height and BMI) were measured every three months. RESULTS: The macronutrient contribution to total energy intake from protein, carbohydrate and fat was similar across the groups. Adjusting for age and gender, no differences in energy intake, weight, BMI, incidence of overweight or obesity was apparent between the groups. CONCLUSION: In this three-year longitudinal study, there was no indication to support a relationship between CGMP and satiety, as evidenced by decreased energy intake, thereby preventing overweight or obesity. Satiety is a complex multi-system process that is not fully understood.publishersversionpublishe