Vantagens Competitivas em Instituições de Ensino Superior: proposta e teste de um modelo

A presente investigação teve como objetivo propor e testar um modelo conceptual que avalie a gestão estratégica de uma instituição de ensino superior (IES). Neste sentido, o estudo procurou unir três tracionais abordagens teóricas ligadas a estratégias empresariais, adaptando-as ao setor educacional: as Teorias de Competitividade, a Teoria dos Recursos e Capacidades e a Teoria dos Stakeholders. Com o apoio teórico destas três teorias, identificou-se os públicos ligados a estas instituições e os fatores internos e externos às organizações educacionais que influenciam a identificação das vantagens competitivas. O modelo desenvolvido foi testado e validado em um estudo de caso realizado com uma universidade brasileira. Os dados evidenciam uma adequação das variáveis de medição propostas no modelo à instituição estudada. A principal contribuição do estudo foi a descoberta de indicadores de medição de cada variável do modelo proposto.Vantagens competitivas, Competitividade educacional, Serviço educacional, Ensino Superior, Gestão de universidades

ACG Clinical Guideline: Diagnosis and Management of Barrett’s Esophagus

Barrett's esophagus (BE) is among the most common conditions encountered by the gastroenterologist. In this document, the American College of Gastroenterology updates its guidance for the best practices in caring for these patients. These guidelines continue to endorse screening of high-risk patients for BE; however, routine screening is limited to men with reflux symptoms and multiple other risk factors. Acknowledging recent data on the low risk of malignant progression in patients with nondysplastic BE, endoscopic surveillance intervals are attenuated in this population; patients with nondysplastic BE should undergo endoscopic surveillance no more frequently than every 3-5 years. Neither routine use of biomarker panels nor advanced endoscopic imaging techniques (beyond high-definition endoscopy) is recommended at this time. Endoscopic ablative therapy is recommended for patients with BE and high-grade dysplasia, as well as T1a esophageal adenocarcinoma. Based on recent level 1 evidence, endoscopic ablative therapy is also recommended for patients with BE and low-grade dysplasia, although endoscopic surveillance continues to be an acceptable alternative. Given the relatively common recurrence of BE after ablation, we suggest postablation endoscopic surveillance intervals. Although many of the recommendations provided are based on weak evidence or expert opinion, this document provides a pragmatic framework for the care of the patient with BE

Undergraduate Research: A Bridge to Graduate Education in Agricultural Biotechnology for Hispanics

Hispanics lag behind all other U.S. ethnic groups in education, and are especially poorly represented in science careers. Undergraduate research is an efficient method to attract undergraduate students to science, and many universities are taking advantage of this; however, much still needs to be done to fully explore its potential. In 2000, Texas A&M University-Kingsville, in collaboration with the University of Texas at Brownsville and the University of Texas Pan-American, initiated a undergraduate research internship program in citrus biotechnology to channel Hispanic undergraduate students into graduate education. To date, 51 internships have been provided, and 20 students have been channeled into graduate school, including four at the doctoral level. Most were first-generation college students

PRODUÇÃO DE Eucalyptus grandis Hill ex Maiden EM DIFERENTES INTENSIDADES DE DESBASTE

O efeito de diferentes intensidades de desbaste sobre a produção Eucalyptus grandis Hill ex Maiden implantado no ano de 1981, em espaçamento inicial de 3,0 x 2,0 metros, na região de Cachoeira do Sul, Rio Grande do Sul, foi estudado com delineamento de blocos ao acaso, com duas repetições e quatro tratamentos: testemunha, sem desbastes, manutenção de 40%, 50% e 60% da área basal da testemunha, constando-se diferença significativa entre os tratamentos, ao nível de 5% de probabilidade. A produção máxima (756,3 m3cc/ha) foi obtida na testemunha, sem desbaste, que não diferiu estatísticamente de 639,6 m3cc/ha, obtido no tratamento com manutenção de 60% da área basal da testemunha, porém diferiu dos tratamentos com manutenção de 50% e 40% da área basal da testemunha. A redução da área basal incrementou a concentração das freqüências nas maiores classes de diâmetro, deslocando a distribuição para a direita, porém com perdas expressivas de produção total e acréscimo significativo no diâmetro. A manutenção de 60% da área basal da testemunha permitiu as menores perdas de produção, cerca de 15,4%, e um ganho de 6,4cm ou 23,9% em incremento diamétrico das árvores remanescentes quando comparado com a testemunha, sem desbaste

Water molecules in the antibody朼ntigen interface of the structure of the Fab HyHEL-5杔ysozyme complex at 1.7 A? resolution: comparison with results from isothermal titration calorimetry

The structure of the complex between hen egg-white lysozyme and the Fab HyHEL-5 at 2.7 A? resolution has previously been reported [Cohen et al. (1996), Acta Cryst. D52, 315�6]. With the availability of recombinant Fab, the X-ray structure of the complex has been re-evaluated at 1.7 A? resolution. The refined structure has yielded a detailed picture of the Fab� lysozyme interface, showing the high complementarity of the protein surfaces as well as several water molecules within the interface that complete the good fit. The model of the full complex has improved significantly, yielding an Rwork of 19.5%. With this model, the structural results can be compared with the results of isothermal titration calorimetry. An attempt has been made to estimate the changes in bound waters that accompany complex formation and the difficulties inherent in using the crystal structures to provide the information necessary to make this calculation are discussed

Nonlinear Dynamics of the Perceived Pitch of Complex Sounds

We apply results from nonlinear dynamics to an old problem in acoustical physics: the mechanism of the perception of the pitch of sounds, especially the sounds known as complex tones that are important for music and speech intelligibility

Effect of microwave and thermal co-pyrolysis of low rank coal and pine wood on product distributions and char structure

peer-reviewedDirect conversion of a low-rank coal into valuable chemicals or improving its char’s coking value became very demanding goals in coal utilization strategies. In this work, the co-pyrolysis of a low-rank lignite coal and pine wood sawdust biomass blended at a 3:1 coal-to-biomass ratio was investigated along with original coal and biomass samples by microwave assisted and conventional thermal methods at 550℃ under nitrogen and ambient pressure. The carbon structure and its reactivity in generated chars and the product distributions were greatly affected by the applied heating mechanism and the presence of biomass during coal pyrolysis. High gas and low tar yields were observed for all microwave chars in comparison to thermal chars, regardless of composition. The addition of biomass to coal increased the tar yield under both methods and to a higher extent under the microwave. This agrees with the high gas yield and high aromatic-to-aliphatic fraction observed under the microwave and the presence of biomass. The high O/C ratio and low fixed carbon content in a biomass structure relative to coal affect the product distribution during microwave pyrolysis. This could selectively heat the biomass in the sample, remove its polar groups, and convert it into an efficient microwave absorber biochar that can decompose coal efficiently during co-pyrolysis. The aromatic carbon stacking and its ordering in the generated chars were investigated by powder X-ray diffraction, Raman spectroscopy, dielectric property measurements, and electron spin resonance techniques. A synergistic effect was observed upon biomass addition during microwave coal pyrolysis. Electron spin resonance spectroscopy revealed that the microwave coal/biomass char is the most stable char with the lowest free radical concentration. This agrees with the highest IG/Iall band area ratio calculated from Raman analysis revealing a more graphitic nature for carbon in this char. Similarly, the dielectric properties confirmed that the addition of biomass to coal under the microwave has the highest loss tangent, indicating a high graphitic nature compared to pure biochar or coal char

The global prevalence of IBS in adults remains elusive due to the heterogeneity of studies: a Rome Foundation working team literature review

Objectives The global prevalence of IBS is difficult to ascertain, particularly in light of the heterogeneity of published epidemiological studies. The aim was to conduct a literature review, by experts from around the world, of community-based studies on IBS prevalence. Design Searches were conducted using predetermined search terms and eligibility criteria, including papers in all languages. Pooled prevalence rates were calculated by combining separate population survey prevalence estimates to generate an overall combined meta-prevalence estimate. The heterogeneity of studies was assessed. Results 1451 papers were returned and 83, including 288 103 participants in 41 countries, met inclusion criteria. The mean prevalence among individual countries ranged from 1.1% in France and Iran to 35.5% in Mexico. There was significant variance in pooled regional prevalence rates ranging from 17.5% (95% CI 16.9% to 18.2%) in Latin America, 9.6% (9.5% to 9.8%) in Asia, 7.1% (8.0% to 8.3%) in North America/Europe/Australia/New Zealand, to 5.8% (5.6% to 6.0%) in the Middle East and Africa. There was a significant degree of heterogeneity with the percentage of residual variation due to heterogeneity at 99.9%. Conclusions The main finding is the extent of methodological variance in the studies reviewed and the degree of heterogeneity among them. Based on this, we concluded that publication of a single pooled global prevalence rate, which is easily calculated, would not be appropriate or contributory. Furthermore, we believe that future studies should focus on regional and cross-cultural differences that are more likely to shed light on pathophysiology