Development of a Web-Based Agriculture Health Risk Assessment Tool for Military Veteran Farmers and Ranchers

In the U.S., significant health disparities exist among rural populations compared to their urban counterparts. These disparities can be compounded in agricultural workers due to the dangerous and unpredictable nature of their work. Agricultural producers who are also military Veterans may experience additional health pressures that are often overlooked in the healthcare setting. Over 2.5 million Veteran Health Administration (VHA) patients reside in rural areas and the healthcare infrastructure to care for these Veterans may not include an agricultural occupational approach. To address healthcare disparities in Veteran farmers and ranchers, this study, in collaboration with AgriSafe Network, will be used to develop a health risk assessment (HRA) that is specifically designed to be used by Veterans working in agriculture. The current AgriSafe AgHRA is an efficient tool in the clinical setting and provides basic responses to individual health risks. The AgHRA does not provide diagnoses and is not meant to replace visits to healthcare provider or screening exams; rather, it alerts the user on how to take risk-appropriate prevention steps. Qualitative interviews with rural health professionals were conducted to 1) gain a better understanding, from the perspective of rural healthcare professionals, regarding the healthcare needs of Veterans working in agriculture and 2) use information gained to create questions for an HRA tool that can be used by Veteran farmers and ranchers. Analysis of the interview data revealed the overarching themes to be healthcare accessibility, mental health conditions and chronic health conditions. Using these data and information from a literature search of Veteran-specific health questionnaires, AgriSafe Network will create a tailored HRA tool that will be accessible on their website

Strategic configurations and performance: a study in micro and small business retailers

Um conjunto expressivo de estudos advogam a interdependência e complementariedade entre variáveis ambientais, estruturais, estratégicas e pessoais do estrategista na formação da estratégia. São raros os levantamentos que associam essas variáveis com desempenho de empresas de pequeno porte. Conjugando variáveis nessas dimensões, a pesquisa aqui apresentada objetivou verificar quais configurações estratégicas compostas pelo processo de desenvolvimento da estratégia, conteúdo da estratégia, atitude empreendedora, modo administrativo e incerteza ambiental percebida associaram-se ao desempenho de empresas de pequeno porte do varejo de vestuário. Dados levantados em survey com 228 empresas e investigados pela técnica de análise de clusters, revelaram dois grupos/clusters de empresas com configurações e níveis de desempenho distintos. Os resultados indicam a relação de interdependência de variáveis na explanação da heterogeneidade do desempenho organizacional.A significant number of studies advocate the interdependence and complementarity between environmental, structural, strategic and personal variables in strategy formation. There are rare surveys that link these variables with small businesses performance. Combining several dimensions of these variables, this study aimed to verify which strategy configurations composed by the strategy development process, strategy content, entrepreneurial attitude, administrative mode and perceived environmental uncertainty were associated with the performance of small-sized clothing retail businesses. Data collected by survey with 228 companies and investigated by cluster analysis technique revealed two groups/clusters of companies with different configurations and performance levels. The results indicate the relationship of interdependence among variables in explaining the heterogeneity of organizational performance

The Unusual Variability of the Large Magellanic Cloud Planetary Nebula RPJ 053059-683542

We present images and light curves of the bipolar Planetary Nebula RPJ 053059-683542 that was discovered in the Reid-Parker AAO/UKST H-alpha survey of the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC). The emission from this object appears entirely nebular, with the central star apparently obscured by a central band of absorption that bisects the nebula. The light curves, which were derived from images from the SuperMACHO project at CTIO, showed significant, spatially resolved variability over the period 2002 January through 2005 December. Remarkably, the emission from the two bright lobes of the nebula vary either independently, or similarly but with a phase lag of at least one year. The optical spectra show a low level of nebular excitation, and only modest N enrichment. Infrared photometry from the 2MASS and SAGE surveys indicates the presence of a significant quantity of dust. The available data imply that the central star has a close binary companion, and that the system has undergone some kind of outburst event that caused the nebular emission to first brighten and then fade. Further monitoring, high-resolution imaging, and detailed IR polarimetry and spectroscopy would uncover the nature of this nebula and the unseen ionizing source.Comment: Accepted for ApJ Letters; 6 page

Mutations in human dynamin block an intermediate stage in coated vesicle formation

The role of human dynamin in receptor-mediated endocytosis was investigated by transient expression of GTP-binding domain mutants in mammalian cells. Using assays which detect intermediates in coated vesicle formation, the dynamin mutants were found to block endocytosis at a stage after the initiation of coat assembly and preceding the sequestration of ligands into deeply invaginated coated pits. Membrane transport from the ER to the Golgi complex was unaffected indicating that dynamin mutants specifically block early events in endocytosis. These results demonstrate that mutations in the GTP-binding domain of dynamin block Tfn-endocytosis in mammalian cells and suggest that a functional dynamin GTPase is required for receptor-mediated endocytosis via clathrin-coated pits

24-stündige intragastrale pH-Metrie beim Pferd während der Fütterung verschiedener Rationen

In dieser Studie wurde eine kontinuierliche 24-stündige pH-Messung im Pferdemagen während der Fütterung drei verschiedener Fütterungsprotokolle durchgeführt. Das Ziel der Studie bestand in der Untersuchung der Auswirkungen einer Heu-ad-libitum-Ration und einer Mischration aus Heu und Kraftfutter mit bzw. ohne einem pektin- und lezithinhaltigen Ergänzungsfuttermittel auf den pH im Magen des Pferdes. Material und Methoden: Für die Studie standen 6 Pferde unterschiedlichen Alters zur Verfügung, die anhand drei verschiedener Fütterungsprotokolle gefüttert wurden. Die Gewöhnungszeit an jedes Fütterungsprotokoll betrug 14 Tage. Das erste Fütterungsprotokoll beinhaltete eine Heu-ad-libitum-Ration. Im zweiten Fütterungsprotokoll wurde die Heumenge auf dreimal täglich 0,5 kg Heu/100 kg KM limitiert und mit viermal täglich 0,25 kg Kraftfutter/100 kg KM ergänzt. Im dritten Fütterungsprotokoll wurden dem zweiten Fütterungsprotokoll dreimal täglich 25 g/100 kg KM eines pektin- und lezithinhaltigen diätetischen Ergänzungsfuttermittels (PLK) zugesetzt. Eine auf 4 m verlängerte Verweilelektrode mit einem Metallgewicht am Elektrodenende wurde unter Sedation und endoskopischer Kontrolle über den Ösophagus in den Magen eingeführt und im Magensee platziert. Das Aufzeichnungsgerät wurde in einer Tasche eines Mähnenschutzes am Pferd aufbewahrt und diente der Registrierung des pH-Wertes alle 4 Sekunden über einen Zeitraum von 24 Stunden. Die pH-Messung und die Fütterung begannen zwei Stunden nach der Sedation. Nach Ablauf der 24 Stunden wurden die Daten mittels Infrarot auf den Computer übertragen und mit Hilfe des Friedmann-Tests, des Wilcoxon-Tests und des Chi-Quadrat-Tests nach Pearson ausgewertet. Das Ziehen der Sonde erfolgte durch Zug am Elektrodenkabel während der Aufnahme eines suppigen Futters. Ergebnisse: Der 24-stündige Medianwert (1. - 3. Quartil) des pHs lag während der Heufütterung bei 2,69 (1,57-4,02). Im Vergleich zur Heufütterung stieg der pH-Wert während der Fütterung der Mischration von Heu und Kraftfutter signifikant (p = 4 (40,1 %) als nach der Heu-ad-libitum- Ration (25,3 %) und der Mischration aus Heu und Kraftfutter (36,2 %). Nach zweimaliger Gabe der Ration aus PLK, Kraftfutter und Heu innerhalb von sechs Stunden blieb der pH nach der zweiten Mahlzeit für 3 Stunden >= 4. In der Heu–ad-libitum-Ration, in der die Pferde durchschnittlich 2,4 kg/100 kg KM an Heu aufnahmen, kam es zu signifikanten Schwankungen im Tagesverlauf, wobei tagsüber höhere pH- Werte gemessen wurden als nachts. Schlussfolgerungen: Die 24-stündige pH-Metrie im Pferdemagen eignet sich sehr gut für Fütterungsversuche. Die Ergebnisse dieser Studie beweisen den Einfluss unterschiedlicher Futterrationen auf den pH im Magen. Eine Mischration aus Heu und Kraftfutter führt zu höheren pH-Werten im Magen als eine Heu-ad-libitum-Ration. Mögliche Ursachen liegen in der höheren Pufferkapazität des Kraftfutters im Vergleich zu Heu und in einer festeren Schichtung des Mageninhaltes mit nachfolgend eingeschränkter Durchdringungsfähigkeit mit Magensäure. PLK hebt aufgrund unserer Untersuchungen den intragastralen pH-Wert leicht an, so dass es einen Beitrag zur Therapie leisten könnte

O CANTO DA SAUDADE EM MÚSICAS POPULARES ALEMÃS DA TERCEIRA IDADE

No presente trabalho, serão analisadas variações e mudanças nas diversas versões da música Schön ist die Jugend (Bela é a juventude). Inicialmente, essa música era cantada como um canto de saudade dos anos da juventude que não voltam mais. Com as diversas alterações que o texto musical sofreu ao longo dos anos, hoje ele é cantado como um verdadeiro hino nacional por pessoas da Terceira Idade dos Clubes de Idosos dos diversos municípios da região Oeste do Paraná e do Sul do Brasil, onde a língua e a cultura alemãs ainda são usadas. Segundo a Sociolinguística, as línguas estão sujeitas a alterações e mudanças pelo uso que os falantes fazem dela. É fácil afirmar isso de textos falados ou escritos, em prosa. À primeira vista, poderia parecer que textos/letras de músicas não se alteram, pois estão sujeitos a alguns requisitos normatizantes, como rima, ritmo e cadência. No entanto, uma análise um pouco mais apurada de algumas letras nos mostra o quanto também esses textos estão sujeitos a variações e mudanças, tanto na perspectiva sincrônica quanto diacrônica. Diversos autores (como RIEMANN, 1971, e LARAIA, 1986) chamam a atenção para esse aspecto, o qual eles definem como dinamicidade, que estaria presente com maior intensidade justamente em músicas populares. Para comprovar e analisar esse aspecto em letras musicais, escolhemos a música popular alemã Schön ist die Jugend, uma das mais cantadas pelos descendentes de imigrantes alemães, em especial por pessoas da chamada Terceira Idade, no Oeste do Paraná.

A ORIGEM/PROCEDÊNCIA DAS MÚSICAS POPULARES ALEMÃS

O presente trabalho tem como objetivo trazer algumas informações sobre a origem/procedência geográfica e dialetológica de músicas populares alemãs que ainda hoje são cantadas pelos descendentes de imigrantes alemães no sul do Brasil. Os dados levantados, e aqui apresentados, fazem parte de uma pesquisa sobre aspectos lingüísticos e etnográficos destas músicas e estão ligados a um projeto de compilação destas letras musicais sob o título “Como se canta em alemão no sul do Brasil”