Investigating the illicit market in veterinary medicines: An exploratory online study with pet owners in the United Kingdom

The illicit market in veterinary medicines is an overlooked issue despite threatening the health of non-human and human animals. It is thought to be increasing within the major markets of the global North due to the growth of e-commerce and social media sites. This paper examines the online market in illicit veterinary medicines through an exploratory study of the public’s online experiences as pet owners in the UK. To this end, we collected data through literature-based research and an online survey. Drawing on Passas’ criminogenic asymmetries framework, the research found that the confluence of legal, political, cultural, economic and knowledge asymmetries likely facilitate the market in illicit veterinary medicines in the UK. Our research concludes that, while previous reports suggest the illicit market is dominated by medicines to treat pets, it increasingly consists of medicines for farmed animals. This brings its own set of challenges and risks, and a pressing need for further research on the market’s dynamics

ROTEIROS TURÍSTICOS DA REGIÃO CENTRAL DO RIO GRANDE DO SUL – Estudo sobre as Principais Características e Atrativos aos Turistas

Um roteiro turístico caracteriza-se pela convergência de ações e de atrativos aos turistas numa determinada localidade ou região. Considerado importante para dinamizar o setor de turismo, os roteiros turísticos necessitam ser planejados, organizados e promovidos de forma adequada para atrair os turistas. Nesta perspectiva, este estudo objetiva mapear os roteiros turísticos da Região Central do estado do Rio Grande do Sul (RS) e, mais especificamente, verificar a localização/região em que estão organizados e as características principais destes roteiros. Como procedimento metodológico utilizou-se a abordagem exploratória, com uma pesquisa qualitativa. Observou-se que na região estudada ainda existem poucos roteiros turísticos organizados, com predominância de utilização dos recursos naturais como principal atrativo turístico.

Saberes e fazeres da gastronomia: diferentes abordagens sobre comida, alimentação

Roberto do Nascimento e Silva, Mônica Elisa Dias Pon

O saber fazer enogastronômico do territorio do Vale dos Vinhedos/RS

Atualmente, diversos territórios buscam expressar seus hábitos, sua cultura e seu modo de vida através de produtos ou processos que as particularizam frente às demais, proporcionando aos visitantes e visitados, sensações de exclusividade a partir de experiências vividas nestes locais. A enogastronomia tem recebido, além de valorização regional, status de tema de pesquisas científicas ao longo dos últimos anos. Todavia, estudos relacionados aos seus saberes fazeres têm recebido pouca atenção, enquanto tema de estudos acadêmicos no país. Entende-se por enogastronomia a união de segmentos sustentada por um tripé que compreende o produtor rural, as empresas (vinícolas e restaurantes) e o território, onde são desenvolvidos e aplicados conhecimentos teóricos, técnicos e práticos no oferecimento de produtos particulares e de qualidade aos consumidores finais. Este artigo tem por objetivo realizar uma reflexão sobre o saber fazer enogastronômico do território do Vale dos Vinhedos/RS. O marco teórico foi referenciado no materialismo histórico dialético e no estudo de caso. Como método de levantamento dos dados, se buscou analisar as entrevistas utilizadas para o desenvolvimento da pesquisa doutoral no ano de 2013. O procedimento de interpretação dos dados está referenciado na análise de conteúdo e os resultados evidenciam o saber fazer enogastronômico do território do Vale dos Vinhedos

Noninvasive predictors of clinically significant portal hypertension in NASH cirrhosis: Validation of ANTICIPATE models and development of a lab-based model

Noninvasive predictors; Portal hypertension; CirrhosisPredictores no invasivos; Hipertensión portal; CirrosisPredictors no invasius; Hipertensió portal; CirrosiClinically significant portal hypertension (CSPH), defined as hepatic venous pressure gradient (HVPG) ≥ 10 mm Hg, identifies patients with compensated cirrhosis at a high risk of decompensation. However, HVPG is an invasive and nuanced method. The ANTICIPATE models, which include liver stiffness measurements by transient elastography (TE) and platelet count ± body mass index, are robust noninvasive surrogates of CSPH but required external validation in patients with nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) cirrhosis. Additionally, TE is not widely available worldwide. The aims of the study were: (1) to externally validate the ANTICIPATE models using baseline data from patients with compensated NASH cirrhosis screened/enrolled in a multicenter international randomized controlled trial; and (2) to develop and externally validate a model using only laboratory values. Regarding aim 1, both ANTICIPATE models showed good calibration and discrimination (area under the curve [AUC] > 0.8) in our cohort (n = 222). Regarding aim 2, a new lab-based model using the Fibrosis-4 index (FIB-4 [age, aspartate aminotransferase, alanine aminotransferase, platelet count]) plus serum albumin was developed. The discrimination in the training cohort (n = 309) was good (AUC of 0.78 [95% confidence interval [CI]:0.72–0.83]). It was then externally validated in a separate cohort of 245 patients with compensated NASH cirrhosis (AUC of 0.8 [95% CI: 0.75–0.86]). Given the difference in the prevalence of CSPH between training (74%) and validation (39%) cohorts, the model required an update of the baseline risk to achieve a good calibration. The updated model was named FIB4+. In conclusion, both ANTICIPATE models performed well in predicting the presence of CSPH in NASH cirrhosis. A model using FIB-4 plus albumin (FIB4+) can be used to predict CSPH where TE is not available.Supported by the Yale Liver Center, National Institutes of Health (P30 DK34989)

Trans-Dichloridobis(triphenylphosphine) palladium(II)

The title compound, [PdCl2{P(C6H5)3}2], has a slightly distorted square-planar geometry, with the chloride ligands coordinated in a trans configuration. The Pd atom is located on a centre of inversion

Marketing Digital e Turismo: Uso de Websites para Atração de Turistas nos Municípios do Rio Grande Do Sul/ Brasil

Com a utilização cada vez mais frequente da internet na busca de informações para a escolha dentre as opções de turismo disponíveis, a otimização dos websites turísticos por parte dos municípios pode ser uma ferramenta importante para o desenvolvimento do turismo. Informações  claras sobre os atrativos turísticos facilitam aos turistas escolher o destino, assim como informações sobre a disponibilidade de hotéis e, também, a gastronomia que o local oferece. Com o objetivo de analisar qualitativamente os websites de municípios do Rio Grande do Sul, este estudo, através de uma pesquisa exploratória, pretende disponibilizar aos gestores um diagnóstico comparativo, no intuito de auxiliar na visibilidade do atrativo turístico e sensibilização dos turistas potenciais, para incremento do setor e da economia local

Differentiating IDH-mutant astrocytomas and 1p19q-codeleted oligodendrogliomas using DSC-PWI:high performance through cerebral blood volume and percentage of signal recovery percentiles

Objective: Presurgical differentiation between astrocytomas and oligodendrogliomas remains an unresolved challenge in neuro-oncology. This research aims to provide a comprehensive understanding of each tumor’s DSC-PWI signatures, evaluate the discriminative capacity of cerebral blood volume (CBV) and percentage of signal recovery (PSR) percentile values, and explore the synergy of CBV and PSR combination for pre-surgical differentiation. Methods: Patients diagnosed with grade 2 and 3 IDH-mutant astrocytomas and IDH-mutant 1p19q-codeleted oligodendrogliomas were retrospectively retrieved (2010–2022). 3D segmentations of each tumor were conducted, and voxel-level CBV and PSR were extracted to compute mean, minimum, maximum, and percentile values. Statistical comparisons were performed using the Mann-Whitney U test and the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC-ROC). Lastly, the five most discriminative variables were combined for classification with internal cross-validation. Results: The study enrolled 52 patients (mean age 45-year-old, 28 men): 28 astrocytomas and 24 oligodendrogliomas. Oligodendrogliomas exhibited higher CBV and lower PSR than astrocytomas across all metrics (e.g., mean CBV = 2.05 and 1.55, PSR = 0.68 and 0.81 respectively). The highest AUC-ROCs and the smallest p values originated from CBV and PSR percentiles (e.g., PSRp70 AUC-ROC = 0.84 and p value = 0.0005, CBVp75 AUC-ROC = 0.8 and p value = 0.0006). The mean, minimum, and maximum values yielded lower results. Combining the best five variables (PSRp65, CBVp70, PSRp60, CBVp75, and PSRp40) achieved a mean AUC-ROC of 0.87 for differentiation. Conclusions: Oligodendrogliomas exhibit higher CBV and lower PSR than astrocytomas, traits that are emphasized when considering percentiles rather than mean or extreme values. The combination of CBV and PSR percentiles results in promising classification outcomes. Clinical relevance statement: The combination of histogram-derived percentile values of cerebral blood volume and percentage of signal recovery from DSC-PWI enhances the presurgical differentiation between astrocytomas and oligodendrogliomas, suggesting that incorporating these metrics into clinical practice could be beneficial. Key Points: • The unsupervised selection of percentile values for cerebral blood volume and percentage of signal recovery enhances presurgical differentiation of astrocytomas and oligodendrogliomas. • Oligodendrogliomas exhibit higher cerebral blood volume and lower percentage of signal recovery than astrocytomas. • Cerebral blood volume and percentage of signal recovery combined provide a broader perspective on tumor vasculature and yield promising results for this preoperative classification.</p

Does organisational heritage matter in the development of offshore markets? the case of Australian life insurers

The globalization of financial markets over the past decade has focused the spotlight on the responsiveness of financial firms to international pressures. Insurance markets have traditionally relied on global networks not only to expand the insurers\u27 sphere of influence but also to support domestic business. Until relatively recently, Australian insurance companies have not played a significant role in the development of international markets. However, in the last decade of the twentieth century Australian insurers ventured overseas on a scale without precedence. This article presents an historical perspective on the internationalization of the Australian life-insurance market with a view to understanding why these firms have been classified &quot;late starters&quot; in the internationalization stakes. In a broader capacity it provides insights into the impediments to overseas expansion and the forces encouraging or discouraging the development of cross border networks