O uso do marketing de relacionamento aliado à tecnologia da informação em uma fábrica de software

The objective of this study was to identify satisfaction factors considered important by customers in the service provided by a software factory, and as a function of them, the company defines its strategies of relationship marketing. The research method was quantitative using a structured questionnaire with 123 clients combined with a depth qualitative research with the leaders of the software factory. The results indicate that the company has applied the practices of relationship marketing with the support of Information Technology - IT. In fact, it has achieved positive results in the following aspects: a) quality of service, b) speed in solves the problems; c) expertise in the solution indicated d) availability and speed in a solution; e) quality in after service; f) cost-effective in a service provided; g) professional support staff. O objetivo deste trabalho foi identificar fatores de satisfação considerados importantes pelos clientes no atendimento prestado por uma fábrica de Software e, como em função deles, ela define suas estratégias de marketing de relacionamento. O método de pesquisa foi o quantitativo com o uso de um questionário estruturado com 123 clientes combinado com a pesquisa qualitativa em profundidade com os dirigentes da fábrica de software. Os resultados indicam que a empresa vem aplicando as práticas do marketing de relacionamento com o suporte da Tecnologia da Informação – TI. Como consequência, ela vem obtendo resultados positivos nos seguintes aspectos: a) qualidade no atendimento; b) agilidade na solução de problemas; c) competência na solução apontada; d) disponibilidade e rapidez no pronto atendimento; e) pós-atendimento eficiente; f) custo benefício do serviço prestado; e g) profissionalismo da equipe de suporte

Efficacy of phosphatidic acid ingestion on lean body mass, muscle thickness and strength gains in resistance-trained men

Background: Phosphatidic acid (PA) has been reported to activate the mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) signaling pathway and is thought to enhance the anabolic effects of resistance training. The purpose of this pilot study was to examine if oral phosphatidic acid administration can enhance strength, muscle thickness and lean tissue accruement during an 8-week resistance training program. Methods: Sixteen resistance-trained men were randomly assigned to a group that either consumed 750 mg of PA (n = 7, 23.1 +/- 4.4 y; 176.7 +/- 6.7 cm; 86.5 +/- 21.2 kg) or a placebo (PL, n = 9, 22.5 +/- 2.0 y; 179.8 +/- 5.4 cm; 89.4 +/- 13.6 kg) group. During each testing session subjects were assessed for strength (one repetition maximum [1-RM] bench press and squat) and body composition. Muscle thickness and pennation angle were also measured in the vastus lateralis of the subject\u27s dominant leg. Results: Subjects ingesting PA demonstrated a 12.7% increase in squat strength and a 2.6% increase in LBM, while subjects consuming PL showed a 9.3% improvement in squat strength and a 0.1% change in LBM. Although parametric analysis was unable to demonstrate significant differences, magnitude based inferences indicated that the Delta change in 1-RM squat showed a likely benefit from PA on increasing lower body strength and a very likely benefit for increasing lean body mass (LBM). Conclusions: Results of this study suggest that a combination of a daily 750 mg PA ingestion, combined with a 4-day per week resistance training program for 8-weeks appears to have a likely benefit on strength improvement, and a very likely benefit on lean tissue accruement in young, resistance trained individuals

Excess Post-Exercise Oxygen Consumption (Epoc) Following Multiple Effort Sprint and Moderate Aerobic Exercise

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of 30-second all-out sprint interval exercise (SIE) vs. moderate aerobic exercise (MA) on excess post-exercise oxygen consumption (EPOC). Six recreationally-trained males (age=23.3 +/- 1.4 yrs, weight=81.8 +/- 9.9 kg, height=180.8 +/- 6.3 cm) completed a sprint interval exercise session consisting of three repeated 30-second Wingate cycling tests separated by four minutes (duration similar to 11minutes) as well as a moderate aerobic exercise session consisting of 30-minute cycling at 60% heart rate reserve (HRR) in a random counterbalanced design. Baseline oxygen consumption (VO2) was determined by an average VO2 from the final five minutes of a 30-minute supine rest period prior to each trial. Following each protocol, VO2 was measured for 30 minutes or until baseline measures were reached. EPOC was determined by subtracting baseline VO2 from post-exercise VO2 measurements. Energy expenditure (kJ) was determined by multiplying kJ per liter of oxygen by the average VO2 during recovery. EPOC values were significantly higher in SIE (7.5 +/- 1.3 L) than MA (1.8 +/- 0.7 L). SIE produced a higher recovery caloric expenditure (156.9 kJ) compared to MA (41.0 kJ) and remained significantly elevated (p=.024) over resting levels during the entire recovery period (30 minutes) compared to MA (6 minutes, p=.003). The energy required to recover from three repeated maximal effort 30-second Wingate cycling tests was greater than 30 minutes of moderate aerobic exercise. Future studies should examine the chronic effects of maximal effort sprint training protocol on cardiovascular fitness and body composition

Biomarkers of muscle quality: N-terminal propeptide of type III procollagen and C-terminal agrin fragment responses to resistance exercise training in older adults

Background N-terminal peptide of procollagen type III (P3NP) and C-terminal agrin fragment (CAF) are circulating biomarkers that are related to lean body mass in older adults. P3NP is a circulating marker reflective of muscular structural remodeling while CAF is a circulating marker of neuromuscular remodeling. As resistance exercise is an established intervention that can effectively improve muscle quality, we sought to evaluate circulating biomarker changes corresponding to a resistance exercise intervention in older adults. Methods Twenty-three older adults (aged 61 to 85 years) were randomized into an intervention (6-week resistance training) or control group. Resting circulating P3NP, CAF, lean body mass (LBM), muscle cross-sectional area (CSA), muscle strength, and muscle quality were determined at baseline and after the intervention or control period by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry, ultrasound, leg extension, and relative strength, respectively. Changes in circulating biomarkers and measures of muscle mass and quality were evaluated with repeated-measures analysis of variance; clinical interpretations were made with magnitude-based inferences, and relationships between variables were evaluated with bivariate correlations. Results The short-term resistance exercise intervention was effective at improving muscle quality by 28 % (p \u3c 0.001) despite no significant changes in lean body mass. Baseline circulating P3NP was somewhat lower in older women (4.15 +/- 1.9 ng/mL) compared with older men (4.81 +/- 2.1 ng/mL). The exercise intervention tended to increase circulating P3NP (baseline=4.53 + 1.80 to post=4.88 + 1.86) and was significantly correlated with changes in LBM (r=0.422, p=0.045). At baseline, women (3.91 + 1.12 pg/mL) had somewhat higher circulating CAF than men (3.47 +/- 1.37 pg/mL). Circulating CAF increased by 10.4 % (3.59 to 4.00 pg/ml) in older adults following 6 weeks of resistance exercise training. Changes in circulating CAF were significantly related to changes in CSA of the vastus lateralis (r=0.542, p=0.008). Conclusions Assessment of P3NP and CAF from blood samples may provide minimally invasive and clinically informative measures of skeletal muscle status in older adults. Circulating CAF appears to increase in response to short-term resistance exercise training in older adults to a clinically meaningful magnitude. Changes in circulating P3NP in response to the intervention were less clear but appear to reflect muscle hypertrophy. Further research is needed to elucidate whether P3NP, CAF, or other biomarkers can reflect muscle qualitative adaptations with larger and longer studies

L-alanyl-L-glutamine ingestion maintains performance during a competitive basketball game

Background: The purpose of this study was to examine the efficacy of L-alanyl-L-glutamine (AG) ingestion on basketball performance, including jump power, reaction time, shooting accuracy and fatigue. Methods: Ten women (21.2 +/- 1.6 years; height: 177.8 +/- 8.7 cm; body mass: 73.5 +/- 8.0 kg), all scholarship NCAA Division I basketball players, volunteered for this study. Subjects participated in four trials, each consisting of a 40-min basketball game with controlled time-outs for rehydration. During the first trial (DHY) subjects were not allowed to rehydrate, and the total weight lost during the contest was used to determine fluid replenishment during the subsequent three trials. During one trial subjects consumed only water (W), while during the other two trials subjects consumed the AG supplement mixed in water using either a low dose (1 g per 500 ml) (AG1) or high dose (2 g per 500 ml) (AG2) concentration. All data assessed prior to and following each game were converted into a Delta score (Post results - Pre results). All performance data were then analyzed using a one-way repeated measures analysis of variance. Results: During DHY subjects lost 1.72 +/- 0.42 kg (2.3%) of their body mass. No differences in fluid intake (1.55 +/- 0.43 L) were seen between rehydration trials. A 12.5% (p = 0.016) difference in basketball shooting performance was noted between DHY and AG1 and an 11.1% (p = 0.029) difference was seen between AG1 and W. Visual reaction time was significantly greater following AG1 (p = 0.014) compared to DHY. Differences (p = 0.045) in fatigue, as determined by player loads, were seen only between AG2 and DHY. No differences were seen in peak or mean vertical jump power during any trial. Conclusion: Rehydration with AG appears to maintain basketball skill performance and visual reaction time to a greater extent than water only

Detection of North American orthopoxviruses by real time-PCR

The prevalence of North American orthopoxviruses in nature is unknown and may be more difficult to ascertain due to wide spread use of vaccinia virus recombinant vaccines in the wild. A real time PCR assay was developed to allow for highly sensitive and specific detection of North American orthopoxvirus DNA in animal tissues and bodily fluids. This method is based on the amplification of a 156 bp sequence within a myristylated protein, highly conserved within the North American orthopoxviruses but distinct from orthologous genes present in other orthopoxviruses. The analytical sensitivity was 1.1 fg for Volepox virus DNA, 1.99 fg for Skunkpox virus DNA, and 6.4 fg for Raccoonpox virus DNA with a 95% confidence interval. Our assay did not cross-react with other orthopoxviruses or ten diverse representatives of the Chordopoxvirinae subfamily. This new assay showed more sensitivity than tissue culture tests, and was capable of differentiating North American orthopoxviruses from other members of Orthopoxvirus. Thus, our assay is a promising tool for highly sensitive and specific detection of North American orthopoxviruses in the United States and abroad

Reliability of the Woodway Curve (TM) Non-Motorized Treadmill for Assessing Anaerobic Performance

A curved treadmill offers a practical method of assessing anaerobic power by enabling unrestricted running motion and greater sport specificity. The purpose of this research was to determine reliability of a curved treadmill (cTM) sprint test and to compare performance measures to the traditional Wingate anaerobic power test (WAnT) performed on a cycle ergometer. Thirty-two recreationally active men and women (22.4 +/- 2.8 yrs; 1.73 +/- 0.08 m; 74.2 +/- 13.2 kg) performed four familiarization trials on cTM, followed by two randomly assigned experimental trials consisting of one 30-second maximum effort on either cTM or WAnT. Each trial was separated by at least 48 hours. Repeated measures analysis of variance (ANOVA), interclass correlations (ICC), standard error of measurement (SEM), and minimal differences (MD) were used to determine reliability of familiarization trials on cTM, and Pearson product moment correlations were calculated to compare cTM and WAnT. ANOVA results showed significant differences (p \u3c 0.05) during the four familiarization trials. Post hoc analysis showed significant differences (p \u3c 0.05) between the first two trials. Familiarization trials 3 and 4 showed a high reliability for each performance variable (distance: ICC2,1 = 0.969, %SEM = 2.645, p = 0.157; mean velocity: ICC2,1 = 0.969, %SEM = 2.622, p = 0.173; peak velocity: ICC2,1 = 0.966, %SEM = 3.142, p = 0.033; mean power: ICC2,1 = 0.940, %SEM = 4.140, p = 0.093; and peak power: ICC2,1 = 0.887, %SEM = 11.244, p = 0.669). Participants elicited an average peak power of 1050.4 +/- 338.5 Watts on cTM and 1031.4 +/- 349.8 Watts on WAnT. Pearson product moment coefficients indicated high correlations between peak power, mean power, and peak velocity (r = 0.75, p \u3c 0.001; r = 0.84, p \u3c 0.001; and r = 0.76, p \u3c 0.001, respectively) derived from cTM and WAnT. In conclusion, results suggest that after two familiarization trials, cTM is a reliable sprint test for recreationally active men and women. In addition, there are strong relationships between cTM and WAnT in assessing anaerobic performance

Assessing Monkeypox Virus Prevalence in Small Mammals at the Human-Animal Interface in the Democratic Republic of the Congo

During 2012, 2013 and 2015, we collected small mammals within 25 km of the town of Boende in Tshuapa Province, the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The prevalence of monkeypox virus (MPXV) in this area is unknown; however, cases of human infection were previously confirmed near these collection sites. Samples were collected from 353 mammals (rodents, shrews, pangolins, elephant shrews, a potamogale, and a hyrax). Some rodents and shrews were captured from houses where human monkeypox cases have recently been identified, but most were trapped in forests and agricultural areas near villages. Real-time PCR and ELISA were used to assess evidence of MPXV infection and other Orthopoxvirus (OPXV) infections in these small mammals. Seven (2.0%) of these animal samples were found to be anti-orthopoxvirus immunoglobulin G (IgG) antibody positive (six rodents: two Funisciurus spp.; one Graphiurus lorraineus; one Cricetomys emini; one Heliosciurus sp.; one Oenomys hypoxanthus, and one elephant shrew Petrodromus tetradactylus); no individuals were found positive in PCR-based assays. These results suggest that a variety of animals can be infected with OPXVs, and that epidemiology studies and educational campaigns should focus on animals that people are regularly contacting, including larger rodents used as protein sources

Povećana potrošnja kisika nakon vježbanja (epoc) zabilježena nakon višekratnih sprintova i umjerene aerobne aktivnosti

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of 30-second all out sprint interval exercise (SIE) vs. moderate aerobic exercise (MA) on excess post-exercise oxygen consumption (EPOC). Six recreationally-trained males (age=23.3±1.4 yrs, weight=81.8±9.9 kg, height=180.8±6.3cm) completed a sprint interval exercise session consisting of three repeated 30-second Wingate cycling tests separated by four minutes (duration~11minutes) as well as a moderate aerobic exercise session consisting of 30-minute cycling at 60% heart rate reserve (HRR) in a random counterbalanced design. Baseline oxygen consumption (VO2) was determined by an average VO2 from the final five minutes of a 30-minute supine rest period prior to each trial. Following each protocol, VO2 was measured for 30-minutes or until baseline measures were reached. EPOC was determined by subtracting baseline VO2 from post-exercise VO2 measurements. Energy expenditure (kJ) was determined by multiplying kJ per liter of oxygen by the average VO2 during recovery. EPOC values were significantly higher in SIE (7.5±1.3 L) than MA (1.8±0.7 L). SIE produced a higher recovery caloric expenditure (156.9 kJ) compared to MA (41.0 kJ) and remained significantly elevated (p=.024) over resting levels during the entire recovery period (30 minutes) compared to MA (6 minutes, p=.003). The energy required to recover from three repeated maximal effort 30-second Wingate cycling tests was greater than 30-minutes of moderate aerobic exercise. Future studies should examine the chronic effects of maximal effort sprint training protocol on cardiovascular fitness and body composition.Cilj je ovog istraživanja bio utvrditi učinke maksimalnog intervalnog sprintanja po 30 sekunda (SIE) i usporediti ih s umjerenim aerobnim treniranjem (MA) na povišenu potrošnju kisika nakon vježbanja. Šest muškaraca rekreativaca (23.3±1.4 godina, 81.8 ± 9.9 kg i 180.8 ± 6.3 cm) je, u slučajnom uravnoteženom nacrtu eksperimenta, provelo intervalni sprinterski trening koji se sastojao od tri ponavljanja Wingate testa (30 sekunda) na biciklu sa odmorima po 4 minute (ukupno trajanje zadatka približno 11 minuta) te umjereni aerobni trening koji se sastojao od 30 minuta bicikliranja intenzitetom od 60% rezerve srčane frekvencije. Početni primitak kisika (VO2) je bio utvrđen kao prosječna vrijednost VO2 zabilježena u zadnjih 5 minuta 30-minutnog odmora u ležećem položaju koji se primjenjivao prije svakog eksperimentalnog protokola. Nakon svakog protokola, VO2 je bio mjeren tijekom 30 minuta ili do trenutka kada se VO2 spustio na početnu vrijednost. EPOC je utvrđen oduzimanjem početne vrijednosti VO2 od vrijednosti VO2 zabilježenih nakon eksperimentalnih protokola. Energetska potrošnja (kJ) je bila utvrđena množenjem potrošenih kJ po litri kisika sa prosječnim VO2 tijekom oporavka. Vrijednosti EPOC-a bile su značajno više u sprinterskoj grupi (SIE 7,5±1,3 l) u odnosu na vrijednosti u grupi MA (1,8±0,7). Sprinterski zadatak je proizveo višu kalorijsku potrošnju tijekom oporavka (156,9 kJ) u usporedbi s umjerenim aerobnim zadatkom MA (41,0 kJ) te je ona ostala značajno povišena (p=0,024) u odnosu na razinu u mirovanju tijekom cijelog perioda oporavka (30 minuta) za razliku od MA (6 minuta, p=0,003). Potrebna energija za oporavak nakon 3 ponovljena maksimalna Wingate testa od 30 sekunda bila je viša nego nakon 30 minuta umjerene aerobne aktivnosti. Buduća istraživanja trebala bi ispitati kronične učinke protokola maksimalnih sprinterskih napora na kardiovaskularni fitnes i sastav tijela

The Eleventh and Twelfth Data Releases of the Sloan Digital Sky Survey: Final Data from SDSS-III

The third generation of the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS-III) took data from 2008 to 2014 using the original SDSS wide-field imager, the original and an upgraded multi-object fiber-fed optical spectrograph, a new near-infrared high-resolution spectrograph, and a novel optical interferometer. All of the data from SDSS-III are now made public. In particular, this paper describes Data Release 11 (DR11) including all data acquired through 2013 July, and Data Release 12 (DR12) adding data acquired through 2014 July (including all data included in previous data releases), marking the end of SDSS-III observing. Relative to our previous public release (DR10), DR12 adds one million new spectra of galaxies and quasars from the Baryon Oscillation Spectroscopic Survey (BOSS) over an additional 3000 deg2 of sky, more than triples the number of H-band spectra of stars as part of the Apache Point Observatory (APO) Galactic Evolution Experiment (APOGEE), and includes repeated accurate radial velocity measurements of 5500 stars from the Multi-object APO Radial Velocity Exoplanet Large-area Survey (MARVELS). The APOGEE outputs now include the measured abundances of 15 different elements for each star. In total, SDSS-III added 5200 deg2 of ugriz imaging; 155,520 spectra of 138,099 stars as part of the Sloan Exploration of Galactic Understanding and Evolution 2 (SEGUE-2) survey; 2,497,484 BOSS spectra of 1,372,737 galaxies, 294,512 quasars, and 247,216 stars over 9376 deg2; 618,080 APOGEE spectra of 156,593 stars; and 197,040 MARVELS spectra of 5513 stars. Since its first light in 1998, SDSS has imaged over 1/3 of the Celestial sphere in five bands and obtained over five million astronomical spectra. \ua9 2015. The American Astronomical Society