MANAGER: um Sistema Multiagente para auxiliar a gestão de cursos EaD em um Ambiente Virtual de Aprendizagem

Com o frequente uso de Ambientes Virtuais de Aprendizagem (AVA) em instituições de ensino, é necessário que coordenadores e administradores gerenciem efetivamente os cursos de Educação a Distância (EaD), a fim de garantir um bom acompanhamento e níveis de qualidade superior. Este artigo apresenta uma abordagem baseada em um Sistema Multiagente para a questão do acompanhamento de cursos EaD. Sendo assim, este perfil de usuário poderá ter uma visão gerencial, ampla e automática de cada curso, além de obter relatórios organizados pelos agentes inteligentes, e que de forma proativa, também devem perceber no AVA situações específicas e enviar notificações imediatamente ao gestor, possibilitando uma rápida tomada de decisão

Histomorfometric Analysis of Duodenum of Rats Submitted to Food Stress / Análise Histomorfométrica do Duodeno de Ratos Submetidos ao Estresse Alimentar

Stress was interpreted as a nonspecific reaction of the organism to a situation that would threaten its homeostasis. Several factors in the modern world can be related to this condition: the search for a perfect body, the labor market dispute or the pressure to conquer everything as fast as possible. Associated with these factors, one can add the intense, naturally stressful, routine in which man is inserted. At the experimental level, several effects are observed at a systemic and behavioral level in rats that have been submitted to food restriction models, finding that the gastrointestinal system is quite vulnerable to stress in general. In specific cases of food stress, it was observed that the manifestations vary according to the life stage of the animal and the applied model. In this sense, the present research aims to evaluate the influence of food restriction on the intestinal tunica morphology of rats submitted to a chronic food stress model. For this, 27 animals were divided into control (n = 11) and test (n = 16) groups. From the 60 th day of life, the test group was submitted to four stages, each one being performed in one day: 1) palatable diet; 2) visual stimulation to the diet, but without access; 3) fasting; 4) standard diet of the biotery. The four steps were repeated until the animals completed 90 days. In the morphometry of the duodenum were analyzed: length, width and area of vill, as well as area of intestinal gland (Lieberkühn). Statistical inference of data showed that the applied stress model affected the morphology of the stressed group, since the intestinal villi appeared wider and with less area in this group. The villi length as well as the intestinal gland area did not undergo morphological changes. The alterations found reinforce that the fasting process acts as a stressor and a predisposing factor for morphological alterations, as observed in other studies in our laboratory. However, there are not many studies in the literature that allow the knowledge of the consequences of this type of stress. In this case, further research is needed on the relationship between the gastrointestinal tract and the experimental model applied to elucidate such findings

Causas gerenciais e ambientais da mortalidade de micro e pequenas empresas: um estudo com empresários de Vitória da Conquista, Bahia

Este artigo trata das causas gerenciais e ambientais da mortalidade dos micro e pequenos empreendimentos nos segmentos do comércio, indústria e serviços, buscando conhecer o perfil dos empresários no intuito de identificar possíveis causas do fechamento de empresas em Vitória da Conquista, Bahia. Foi realizado um estudo de natureza exploratório-descritivo, com abordagem quali-quantitativo. Diante dos resultados identificou-se que as principais causas do fechamento das empresas são decorrentes de deficiências no processo gerencial e de problemas externos à organização

Causas gerenciais e ambientais da mortalidade de micro e pequenas empresas: um estudo com empresários de Vitória da Conquista, Bahia

Este artigo trata das causas gerenciais e ambientais da mortalidade dos micro e pequenos empreendimentos nos segmentos do comércio, indústria e serviços, buscando conhecer o perfil dos empresários no intuito de identificar possíveis causas do fechamento de empresas em Vitória da Conquista, Bahia. Foi realizado um estudo de natureza exploratório-descritivo, com abordagem quali-quantitativo. Diante dos resultados identificou-se que as principais causas do fechamento das empresas são decorrentes de deficiências no processo gerencial e de problemas externos à organização

Photodynamic therapy repairs medication-related osteonecrosis of the jaw by reducing NF-kB protein in rats

To evaluate whether antimicrobial photodynamic therapy (aPDT) repairs bisphosphonate-related osteonecrosis of the jaw (BRONJ) modulated by the reduction of NF-kB protein in a murine model. Methodology: Male Wistar rats (N=30) were divided into the following groups (n=6/group): negative control (NC); experimental osteonecrosis (ONE); ONE + photosensitizer (PS); ONE + photobiomodulation (PBM); and ONE + aPDT. Over 8 weeks, ONE was induced by zoledronic acid 250 µg/kg injections, except in the NC group, which received sterile 0.9% saline, followed by extraction of the lower left first molar. Red light laser irradiation (wavelength ~660 nm, power 50 mW, energy of 2 J, energy dose of 66.67 J/cm2 for 40 s) was performed once a week for 4 weeks. Methylene blue 0.3% was used as PS. The animals were euthanized and examined macroscopically for the presence of exposed bone and epithelial repair and microscopically by histochemical (hematoxylin-eosin and Masson’s trichrome staining) and immunohistochemical (anti-NF-kB) methods. Macroscopic and histomorphometric data were analyzed by one-way ANOVA and Tukey’s post-test (p<0.05). Results: Mucosal repair, viable osteocytes, and NF-kB immunostaining were observed in the NC, ONE+PS, ONE+PBM, and ONE+aPDT groups. The ONE group showed no mucosal repair, showing empty lacunae and multifocal immunostaining for NF-kB. The ONE+PBM and ONE+aPDT groups had greater deposition of extracellular matrix and less necrotic bone tissue (p<0.05). Conclusion: PBM and aPDT treatments for BRONJ were effective for bone and epithelial repair, in addition to reducing inflammation mediated by the decrease of NF-kB protein in the irradiated regions

Nível de estadiamento das mulheres submetidas a tratamento do câncer de mama

Foi realizado um estudo transversal, com base nos prontuários de 244 mulheres com o diagnóstico prévio de câncer de mama no período de 2003 a 2005, desses cinco foram excluídos por falta de dados. As variáveis estudadas foram: o nível de estadiamento do câncer de mama, diagnóstico histopatológico, tipo de tratamento adotado, tempo do diagnóstico, início do tratamento, idade, procedência e profissão. Dos 239 prontuários analisados: 81 corresponderam ao ano de 2003, 88 a 2004 e 70 ao ano de 2005. Foi encontrada uma maior ocorrência do câncer de mama nas faixas etárias de 41 – 60 anos. Quanto ao nível de estadiamento do câncer de mama foram encontrados 120 no estádio II, 69 no III, 36 no IV e apenas 14 no estádio I. Entre os tipos histológicos dos 239 casos analisados predominaram o carcinoma: ductal infiltrante, lobular infiltrante e o medular. A maioria do diagnóstico do câncer de mama foi realizado nos estádios II e III. O tipo de tratamento mais freqüentemente utilizado foi o cirúrgico associado à quimioterapia. _______________________________________________________________________________________ ABSTRACT: We conducted a transversal study based on records of the Oncology Center, Hospital Governador João Alves Filho, of 244 women diagnosed with breast cancer in the period 2003 to 2005. Five records were excluded due to missing data. The variables studied were: the level of breast cancer staging, histopathological diagnosis, type of treatment used, time of diagnosis, initiation of treatment, age, origin and profession. The 239 charts analyzed corresponded : 81 the year 2003, 88-2004 and 70- 2005. There was a higher incidence of breast cancer in the age groups 41 to 60 years. Regarding the level of staging of breast cancer were found in 120 stage II, 69 in III, IV and only 36 in 14 in stage I. Among the histological types of the 239 cases analyzed predominated carcinoma: infiltrating ductal, infiltrating lobular and medullary. Most of the diagnosis of breast cancer was carried out in stages II and III. The type most frequently used treatment was surgery associated with chemotherapy

Effects of chronic food stress on morphometry and expression of nuclear organizing regions in the adult rats hippocampus Chronic food stress on morphometry and expression of agnor in the rats hippocampus / Efeitos do estresse alimentar crônico na morfometria e expressão das regiões de organização nuclear nos ratos adultos hipocampo Testemunho crônico de alimentação sobre morfometria e expressão do agnor no hippocampus das taxas

The aim of this study was to verify the immediate and late effects of chronic food stress on the expression of Nuclear Organizing Regions (NORs) in hippocampal neurons. Twenty Wistar rats were separated into two groups: test (n = 10) and control (n = 10). Food stress started from the 60th day of life and lasted for a month. After this time the animals were anesthetized, euthanized and had their hippocampus dissected. The obtained hippocampus were histologically processed, stained by the HE technique for morphological description and by the AgNOR technique for NOR analysis. From each image the total number of neurons, the number of neurons with NOR in Dispersion (NND), the total number of NORs (NNOR), and then performed a ratio of NNOR by the total number of neurons to obtain the number Of NOR by neuron (NNN). Of the analyzed variants, the number of neurons was higher (p <0.001) in the stressed group (41.98 ± 17), when compared with the control group (33.57 ± 14). In addition, NND was also higher in the stressed group (4.523 ± 4.04) than the control group (1.4 ± 2.20) with p <0.001. Thus, we have that chronic food stress increases the number of granular neurons in the hippocampus in rats as well as increases the number of NOR in dispersion. 

The concentrations of heavy metals and the incidence of micronucleated erythrocytes and liver EROD activity in two edible fish from the Paraíba do Sul river basin in Brazil

The Paraíba do Sul river (PSR) basin crosses one of the most populated and industrialized regions of Brazil and receives effluent from the metallurgic, paper mill and agricultural industries. PSR water has multiple uses, including being a supply of potable water and riverine populations which consume some species of its fish. In the present study, we investigated the responses of two biomarkers of aquatic pollution, EROD activity in the liver and micronuclei frequency in peripheral blood, as well as the concentrations of seven heavy metals in the muscle tissue of two species of fish native to the PSR: Geophagus brasiliensis and Hypostomus sp. Sampling was performed in both the wet and dry seasons of 2003, with a total of 339 fish collected from 16 sites along the PSR basin. Fish collected at Levy Gasparian, Barra Mansa and Três Rios both had higher EROD activity and micronuclei frequency. The results also suggested a moderate induction of EROD activity in fish collected from S.L. Paraitinga and Sapucaia. Micronuclei frequency was elevated in fish from S.J. Campos, Além Paraíba, Campos and S.J. Barra. In all cases, heavy metal concentrations did not exceed the maximum considered safe for fish meat consumption.Título PT: Concentração de metais pesados e incidência de eritrócitos micronucleados e atividade de EROD hepática em duas espécies de peixes comestíveis na bacia do Rio Paraíba do Sul, BrasilA bacia do rio Paraíba do Sul (PSR) atravessa uma das regiões mais povoadas e industrializadas do Brasil, recebendo efluentes de indústrias metalúrgicas, de papel e celulose e agrícolas. Os usos das águas do PSR são múltiplos, incluem o fornecimento de água potável, e as populações ribeirinhas consomem algumas de suas espécies de peixes. No presente trabalho foram investigadas as respostas de dois biomarcadores à poluição, a atividade hepática de EROD e a freqüência de micronúcleo em sangue periférico, e medidos os níveis de sete metais pesados no músculo de duas espécies de peixes nativas do PSR, Geophagus brasiliensis and Hypostomus sp.. As amostragens foram realizadas nos períodos de seca e de cheias de 2003. Ao todo foram coletados 339 peixes em 16 regiões ao longo da bacia do PSR. Os peixes coletados em Levy Gasparian, Barra Mansa e Três Rios apresentaram alta atividade de EROD e frequência de micronúcleo. Também foi detectada uma moderada indução de EROD nos peixes coletados em S.L. Paraitinga e Sapucaia. A frequência de micronúcleo foi elevada nos peixes coletados em S.J. Campos, Além Paraíba, Campos e S.J. Barra. Em todos os casos, as concentrações de metais pesados não excederam os valores máximos permitidos para carne de peixes