DIY; Strategic Sustainable Homes Rethinking Ghana\u27s Housing Crisis

The irony is that a profession that is responsible for cratering to one of the most basic human needs, is so economically out of reach for those in developing countries such as Ghana. Africa\u27s housing already insufficient and continues to be expensive and not meeting the soaring demand, leads to the continent to face a housing crisis. This problem either leads people to become homeless or are forced to move into neglected unsanitary areas. The intent of my thesis is to provide a DIY; sustainable strategy home in which the locals learn and benefit from building a permit eco-friendly home. The goal is to break down the housing crisis and provide a prototype eco-friendly solution, all while building design and leadership principles throughout the process of this idea. Architecture isn’t only about aesthetics and for the rich, it is about finding imaginative and to provide creative problem solving to improving people’s quality of their everyday lives. Throughout my process, I will find new innovative ways to cut housing costs by learning traditional building techniques to help conserve cost waste. Innovative and eco-friendly homes that use local recyclable materials and resources, combined with efficient water and energy systems, could just offer Africa\u27s population the perfect sustainable and affordable solution to meet its housing needs

The Design, Synthesis, and Biological Evaluation of Steroid-Derived Inhibitors of the Sonic Hedgehog Signaling Pathway

The Sonic Hedgehog (SHH) signaling pathway is required during embryogenesis for cell differentiation and growth; however, medulloblastoma, a pediatric malignancy in the cerebellum, as well as glioblastoma multiforme (GBM), a malignant and invasive adult brain tumor, also require SHH signaling for growth. As SHH signaling remains inactive in healthy adult cells, this pathway provides an excellent target for chemotherapeutics. Cyclopamine, a naturally occurring alkaloid, inhibits the SHH pathway at the level of Smoothened (SMO) and has demonstrated reduced tumor growth in vivo. However, this alkaloid is metabolically unstable. Analysis of the hydrophobic core of cyclopamine revealed a similarity to the steroidal ABCD ring system. Using estrone as a hydrophobic surrogate, we have synthesized readily accessible and metabolically stable analogs to inhibit the SHH pathway. Using computational analysis in conjunction with high-throughput biological evaluation, we are continuing to design and synthesize novel antagonists of the SHH pathway in hopes to further understand the binding pocket of SMO. To this end, we have made significant progress towards elucidating which aspects of the molecules may be required for potency and have identified a new class of compounds that exhibit potency ten times that of cyclopamine

Caso de estudio mejoras para el sistema de administración de riesgo de fraude externo como parte del riesgo operativo en alianza fiduciaria

Es importante tener en cuenta que las organizaciones, a menudo buscan prevenir el fraude externo como parte del riesgo operativo, por lo tanto, es clave establecer qué políticas son necesarias para identificar los riesgos que se presenten en el giro ordinario de sus operaciones.Es por esto que, el Sistema de Administración del Riesgo Operativo (SARO) permite contribuir al cumplimiento de metas de la entidad, pues las mismas se integran con el fin de disminuir la posibilidad de incurrir en pérdidas, realizando una adecuada y oportuna gestión de riesgos.El presente trabajo investigativo, propone mejoras para la administración del fraude externo como una clase del riesgo operativo en el SARO de Alianza Fiduciaria, por medio de una comparación entre la Regulación Colombiana y los Estándares Internacionales, tales como: Basilea II, COSO, Estándar Australiano (AS/NZS), ISO 31000, entre otros. Es importante indicar que Alianza Fiduciaria cumple con los requerimientos mínimos establecidos por la SFC.Adicionalmente, se pretende que Alianza Fiduciaria identifique qué aspectos podría incorporar de la norma internacional a su Sistema de Administración de Riesgo Operativo, con el fin de brindar un valor agregado a sus clientes.It is important to note that organizations often seek to prevent external fraud as part of operational risk, there fore, it is crucial to establish what policies are neede to identy the risk that arise in the ordinary course of its operations.Contador PúblicoPregrad

El proceso proyectual y la participación comunitaria en la arquitectura latinoamericana

El presente trabajo de investigación es un acercamiento y una reflexión en torno a los procesos proyectuales en la arquitectura latinoamericana, específicamente en los proyectos arquitectónicos y urbanos resultado de procesos participativos. En los últimos dieciocho años (2000-2018) en los ámbitos académico y profesional, se ha venido fortaleciendo la tendencia de participación en arquitectura lo que ha implicado la ejecución de proyectos bajo los requerimientos particulares de estas prácticas participativas. En ese sentido, ha sido necesario estudiar el proceso proyectual y el rol del arquitecto en el ámbito profesional de la arquitectura. Lo anterior, con el fin de comprender los cambios sufridos en la disciplina en cuestión en virtud de una democratización de los procesos de diseño que pone en una relación horizontal al arquitecto y a la comunidad. Es importante ver esta nueva relación en el contexto actual de América Latina, donde las prácticas solidarias son cada vez más fuertes y notorias debido a la imperante necesidad de las comunidades de dar respuesta a situaciones de violencia, pobreza y desigualdad presentes en sus asentamientos. Por lo tanto, el arquitecto y especialmente los colectivos de diseño, se han insertado en esta dinámica para contribuir al desarrollo de las iniciativas emanadas de las mismas comunidades. Esto último, debido a que es allí donde se requiere la construcción de espacios para consolidar, fortalecer o potencializar prácticas y procesos comunitarios a distintas escalas y con distintos agentes y actores.Requerimientos de sistema: Adobe Acrobat ReaderThe present research work is an approach and reflection on the project processes in Latin American architecture, specifically in the architectural and urban projects resulting from participatory processes. In the last eighteen years (2000-2018) in the academic and professional fields, the tendency of participation in architecture has been strengthened, which has implied the execution of projects under the particular requirements of these participatory practices. In that sense, it has been necessary to study the project process and the role of the architect in the professional field of architecture. The foregoing, in order to understand the changes in the discipline in question by virtue of a democratization of the design processes that puts the architect and the community in a horizontal relationship. It is important to see this new relationship in the current context of Latin America, where solidarity practices are increasingly strong and notorious due to the prevailing need of communities to respond to situations of violence, poverty and inequality present in their settlements. Therefore, the architect and especially the design collectives, have been inserted in this dynamic to contribute to the development of the initiatives emanating from the communities themselves. The latter, because that is where the construction of spaces is required to consolidate, strengthen or strengthen community practices and processes at different scales and with different agents and actors

Os impactos do REACH sobre a indústria cosmética brasileira

A Comissão Européia apresentou em 2003 a proposta do REACH (Registration, Evaluation, Authorization and Restriction of Chemical) como uma forma de proteção à saúde humana e ambiental, sendo implementado em 2007. Trata-se de um regulamento que visa à regular a fabricação e a comercialização de produtos químicos dentro da União Européia, atribuindo às indústrias dessas substâncias o ônus de avaliar os riscos decorrentes da utilização de seus produtos, no caso de sua produção ultrapassar a medida de uma tonelada por ano. A empresa que quiser manter a comercialização de seus produtos dentro da UE deverá registrá-los junto à Agência Européia de Produtos Químicos (ECHA). Além das indústrias químicas, esta nova política afeta também as empresas que utilizam determinadas substâncias químicas como matéria-prima de seus produtos. Como a química está presente em, praticamente, todos os produtos utilizados no dia-a-dia pela sociedade, a política do REACH representa um enorme impacto para o setor industrial como um todo. O setor de cosméticos, por estar em crescente expansão ao longo dos últimos anos, independentemente das crises econômicas pelas quais o mundo passa, foi escolhido como objeto de estudo. A seguir discutiremos como o regulamento REACH irá impactar a indústria brasileira de cosméticos

Taxonomy of Apenesia Westwood (Hymenoptera, Bethylidae) from Paraná, Brazil

Apenesia quadrimera sp. n., A. rotunda sp. n. and A. clypeata sp. n. are described and illustrated. New geographic records and variation data of A. cusco Evans, 1966, A distinta Corrêa & Azevedo, 2001, A. funebris Evans, 1963, A. fusilis Corrêa & Azevedo, 2001, A. inca Evans, 1963 and A. transversa Evans, 1963 are added

UTILIZAÇÃO DO LASER DE BAIXA POTÊNCIA NA SÍNDROME DA ARDÊNCIA BUCAL: UMA REVISÃO SISTEMÁTICA

A Síndrome da ardência bucal é caracterizada pelo quadro de ardência quase sempre acompanhado de dor, sem que haja a presença de qualquer disfunção e causa orgânica aparente. Essas características associadas à sensação de queimação, boca seca e paladar alterado contemplam o conjunto de sintomas que a definem como uma síndrome

Biological soil crusts decrease infiltration but increase erosion resistance in a human-disturbed tropical dry forest

Under continuous human disturbance, regeneration is the basis for biodiversity persistence and ecosystem service provision. In tropical dry forests, edaphic ecosystem engineering by biological soil crusts (biocrusts) could impact regeneration by influencing erosion control and soil water and nutrient fluxes, which impact landscape hydrology, geomorphology, and ecosystem functioning. This study investigated the effect of cyanobacteria-dominated biocrusts on water infiltration and aggregate stability in a human-modified landscape of the Caatinga dry forest (NE Brazil), a system characterized by high levels of forest degradation and increasing aridity. By trapping dust and swelling of cyanobacterial filaments, biocrusts can seal soil surfaces and slow down infiltration, which potentially induces erosion. To quantify hydraulic properties and erosion control, we used minidisc-infiltrometry, raindrop-simulation, and wet sieving at two sites with contrasting disturbance levels: an active cashew plantation and an abandoned field experiencing forest regeneration, both characterized by sandy soils. Under disturbance, biocrusts had a stronger negative impact on infiltration (reduction by 42% vs. 37% during regeneration), although biocrusts under regenerating conditions had the lowest absolute sorptivity (0.042 ± 0.02 cm s−1/2) and unsaturated hydraulic conductivity (0.0015 ± 0.0008 cm s−1), with a doubled water repellency. Biocrusts provided high soil aggregate stability although stability increased considerably with progression of biocrust succession (raindrop simulation disturbed: 0.19 ± 0.22 J vs. regenerating: 0.54 ± 0.22 J). The formation of stable aggregates by early successional biocrusts on sandy soils suggests protection of dry forest soils even on the worst land use/soil degradation scenario with a high soil erosion risk. Our results confirm that biocrusts covering bare interspaces between vascular plants in human-modified landscapes play an important role in surface water availability and erosion control. Biocrusts have the potential to reduce land degradation, but their associated ecosystem services like erosion protection, can be impaired by disturbance. Considering an average biocrust coverage of 8.1% of the Caatinga landscapes, further research should aim to quantify the contribution of biocrusts to forest recovery to fully understand the role they play in the functioning of this poorly explored ecosystem

Analysis of alimentary consistency and deglutition time in children with spastic quadriplegic cerebral palsy

PURPOSE: to evaluate the alimentary consistency and the deglutition time in children with Cerebral Palsy. METHODS: 30 children between 0 and 12 years, with Cerebral Paralysis of the quadriplegic spastic type been evaluated, that were under speech pathology follow-up. RESULTS: the collected data showed that the verbal phase demonstrated to be inefficient or absent in the majority of the children, as well as in the pharyngeal phase of deglutition. More of the half of the evaluated children have shown between moderate to acute verbal motor dysfunction. In relation to the consistency of food and deglutition times, the children with deeply compromised OMF (Oral Motor Function) took more 14.2 times to swallow liquid foods and more 6.4 times for the pasty food. CONCLUSION: before the study, it is possible to conclude that the major difficulty of the child with cerebral paralysis is the verbal phase of deglutition and as bigger the verbal motor dysfunction, the bigger is the time elapsing for swallowing foods in the three studied consistencies. The relations between OMD (Oral Motor Dysfunction) and deglutition time are directly related.OBJETIVO: avaliar a consistência alimentar e o tempo de deglutição em crianças que apresentam Paralisia Cerebral Tetraplégica Espástica. MÉTODOS: foram avaliadas 30 crianças entre 0 e 12 anos, com Paralisia Cerebral do tipo tetraplegia espástica, em acompanhamento fonoaudiológico, sendo utilizado um protocolo de avaliação nos padrões de deglutição. RESULTADOS: os dados coletados mostraram a fase oral ineficiente ou ausente em 27crianças (90%) e a fase faríngea com anormalidades ou inadequações em 21 crianças (70%). Mais da metade das crianças avaliadas apresentaram disfunção motora oral (DMO) entre moderada e grave. Em relação à consistência do alimento e os tempos de deglutição, as crianças com Função Motora Oral profundamente comprometida levam 14,2 vezes mais tempo para deglutir alimentos líquidos e 6,4 vezes mais para o alimento pastoso. CONCLUSÃO: diante do estudo realizado, é possível concluir que a maior dificuldade da criança que apresenta paralisia cerebral é a fase oral da deglutição e quanto maior a disfunção motora oral, maior o tempo gasto para deglutir os alimentos nas três consistências pesquisadas. As relações entre DMO e tempo de deglutição estão diretamente relacionadas.Clínica VivoneClínica TavaresPrefeitura Municipal de Volta RedondaHospital HeliópolisUniversidade Federal de São Paulo (UNIFESP) Setor de Investigação em Doenças NeuromuscularesUNIFESP, Setor de Investigação em Doenças NeuromuscularesSciEL

Composição das comunidades de planárias terrestres (Platyhelminthes, Tricladida, Terricola) em duas áreas de floresta estacional semidecidual do sul do Brasil

Studies on land planarian community structure and composition have been done mainly in areas of mixed and dense ombrophilous forest in southern Brazil. In the present paper, we analyzed land planarian community composition in areas of semi-caducifolius forest of the State Park of Itapuã (SP-Itapuã) and the Campus of the University of Vale do Rio dos Sinos (UNISINOS), in the northeast of Rio Grande do Sul. We registered 20 species, two of them belonging to the family Rhynchodemidae (Rhynchodeminae), one to the genus Rhynchodemus Leidy, 1851 and the other to the genus Dolichoplana Moseley, 1877, and 18 to the family Geoplanidae (Geoplaninae). The latter are distributed in the genera Geoplana Stimpson, 1857, Notogynaphallia Ogren and Kawakatsu, 1990, and Pasipha Ogren and Kawakatsu, 1990, as well as in the collective group Pseudogeoplana Ogren and Kawakatsu, 1990. The genus Geoplana, with 7 species, showed the highest species richness. We observed 9 and 13 species, respectively, in the Campus of the UNISINOS and SP-Itapuã, with two species, Notogynaphallia abundans (Graff, 1899) and Geoplana gaucha Froehlich, 1959, common to both areas. The similarity between these two areas was low (0.1). The known distribution of Dolichoplana carvalhoi Correa, 1947, until now only known from its type-locality, the city of São Paulo, is thus amplified. Key words: survey, biodiversity, semi-caducifolius forest, man-disturbed areas, Geoplanidae.Estudos sobre a composição e estrutura de comunidades de planárias terrestres desenvolvidos no Rio Grande do Sul têm se concentrado em áreas de floresta ombrófila mista e densa. No presente trabalho, analisou-se a composição das comunidades de Terricola em áreas de floresta estacional semidecidual do Parque Estadual de Itapuã (PE-Itapuã) e do Câmpus da Universidade do Vale do Rio dos Sinos (UNISINOS), localizadas no nordeste do Rio Grande do Sul. Nas áreas de estudo, foram registradas 20 espécies, das quais, duas pertencem à família Rhynchodemidae (Rhynchodeminae), e aos gêneros Rhynchodemus Leidy, 1851 e Dolichoplana Moseley, 1877, e as 18 restantes à Geoplanidae (Geoplaninae). Estas últimas distribuem-se nos gêneros Geoplana Stimpson, 1857, Notogynaphallia Ogren e Kawakatsu, 1990 e Pasipha Ogren e Kawakatsu, 1990, bem como no grupo coletivo Pseudogeoplana Ogren e Kawakatsu, 1990. O gênero Geoplana, com sete espécies, apresentou a maior riqueza de espécies. Nove e 13 espécies, respectivamente, foram observadas no Câmpus da UNISINOS e no PE-Itapuã, sendo apenas duas espécies, Notogynaphallia abundans (Graff, 1899) e Geoplana gaucha Froehlich, 1959, comuns às duas áreas. A similaridade entre as duas áreas foi baixa (0,1). Amplia-se a área de distribuição conhecida de Dolichoplana carvalhoi Correa 1947, registrada anteriormente apenas para sua localidade-tipo, a cidade de São Paulo. Palavras-chave: levantamento, biodiversidade, floresta semidecidual, áreas impactadas, Geoplanidae