Students self-assessment in private education: the influence of the perceived quality in distance education courses for the sustained advantage of the institution

This paper investigates the relationship between the competitive aspects of the resources offered to the students and the self-assessment they do about themselves. For this purpose, a survey counting 4,671 valid learners’ entries from a private Brazilian educational institution was done. The survey involved constructs made by the institution related to the resource-based view theory. To test the scale’s reliability, the Cronbach’s alpha was used; the Kolmogorov-Smirnov test was done to evaluate the normality; and the Spearman’s coefficient was also used to see the correlation between the indicators and the constructs; the Wilcoxon test was done to assess the balance among the constructs. It is suggested that the student’s self-assessment may influence the course’s quality assessment and the institution’s competitive advantage

Differences and similarities in the milk production chain: a comparative analysis with the states of Minas Gerais and Paraná

Brazilian agriculture has played a prominent role all over the world, being milk production one of the exponents of the national agribusiness. The states of Minas Gerais and Paraná are protagonists in the milk production business in the country. The objective of this study was to evaluate the differences and similarities of the milk production chain in these two states, considering the period from 2008 to 2017, in order to investigate their dynamics and their competitiveness. The methodological approach adopted in the research was of a quantitative nature, with the use of the software “Statistical Package for the Social Sciences” (SPSS), which allowed the analysis to be carried out with the statistical techniques of analysis of variance (Anova) and cluster analysis. Ward’s agglomerative method and discriminant analysis were also adopted. The state of Minas Gerais presented a superior milk production chain in comparison with Paraná in every year analyzed; however, statistically there was no significant difference in the milk production from 2009 to 2017. Paraná presented better milk productivity averages as compared to Minas Gerais; it was highly significant (1%) from 2008 to 2016 and significant (5%) in 2017. The results of the cluster analysis indicated that, due to the fact that Paraná has higher productivity indexes in relation to Minas Gerais, its limits are better in relation to Minas Gerais in the analyzed aspects. It was found that some municipalities that are considered to have high productivity in Minas Gerais do not enter this same group in Paraná. It can be said that Paraná was shown to be more efficient in the milk production chain as compared to Minas Gerais in the analyzed time period. The article indicates the need to improve the technology used in the milk production chain, so that the numbers related to productivity can be improved. In addition, it was found that it is necessary to invest in genetics and technical assistance so that milk producers in the states surveyed can become more competitive

A cognição humana e o mercado: influência dos atores para a plasticidade do mercado

O objetivo principal deste trabalho é discutir como a cognição humana, dos atores de mercado, contribui para a plasticidade da constituição do próprio mercado. Para alcançar este objetivo, foi necessário propor duas questões para serem respondidas: (i) como a cognição dos atores do mercado contribui para o mercado tomar forma (se moldar); (ii) como a cognição dos atores do mercado contribui para o mercado assumir e manter sua forma. No intuito de responder estas questões, tomaremos emprestado o conceito de “plasticidade de mercado” de Alderson (1957), bem como o caminho percorrido por Nenonen et al. (2014) como base conceitual que discute como a cognição dos atores do mercado contribui para sua plasticidade. Ao final do trabalho, chegamos que há uma ligação direta, um relacionamento intrínseco entre os modelos mentais cognitivos individuais e as mudanças que ocorrem no mercado. E ainda, que os modelos mentais não se relacionam apenas as mudanças, elas também podem vir a contribuir para a estabilização de um mercado, promovendo uma prática (lógica) dominante

Vascularização arterial da base do encéfalo de cutias (Dasyprocta aguti Linnaeus, 1766)

The agouti, a rodent that is geographically distributed throughout South America, is greatly valued for its meat. This paper describes the arterial vascularization of the base of the agouti’s brain, characterizing behavior, and arterial origin and distribution. Ten animals from the Center for the Multiplication of Wild Animals (CEMAS/UFERSA) were used and the study was approved by SISBIO (report number 32413- 1) and the Ethics Committee on Animal Use (CEUA/UFERSA) (protocol 02/2010). After euthanasia, the animals were incised in the thoracic cavity by an injection of red-stained Neoprene latex 650 and the skulls were subsequently opened. The brains were extracted from the skulls for ventral surface analysis and then fixed in an aqueous 10% formaldehyde solution. The agouti’s arterial vascularization of the brain has two main components, namely the carotid and vertebrobasilar systems. The agouti’s carotid system accounts for vascularization of almost the entire forebrain, while the vertebrobasilar system accounts for vascularization of almost the entire posterior brain (medulla oblongata, pyramid, trapezoid body, cerebellum, bridge, and part of the third caudal section of the forebrain) through the caudal cerebral arteries originating from the terminal branches of the basilar artery. The main arteries on the brain surface include the basilar artery, which is unique, and the arterial pairs, specifically the vertebral arteries, cerebellar caudal arteries, trigeminal artery, rostral cerebellar artery, basilar terminal branch artery, cerebral caudal artery, communicating caudal branch of the cerebral carotid artery, cerebral carotid artery, communicating branch rostral cerebral carotid artery, choroidal rostral artery, medial branch of the communicating branch rostral artery, internal ophthalmic artery, middle cerebral artery, and rostral cerebral artery.A cutia é um roedor, que se distribui geograficamente por quase toda América Latina, sendo apreciada pelo sabor da sua carne. Neste trabalho objetivou-se descrever a vascularização arterial da base do encéfalo de cutias, caracterizando o comportamento, origem e distribuição das artérias componentes. Foram utilizados 10 animais do Centro de Multiplicação de Animais Silvestres (CEMAS/UFERSA), pesquisa aprovada pela Comissão de Ética no Uso de Animais (CEUA/ UFERSA- n° 02/2010) e pelo SISBIO (N°32413-1). Após eutanásia, os animais foram incisados na cavidade torácica para injeção de Neoprene látex 650 corado na cor vermelha e posterior abertura da calota craniana. Os encéfalos foram extraídos do crânio para análise da sua face ventral e logo fixados em solução aquosa de formaldeído a 10%. A vascularização arterial do encéfalo da cutia apresenta dois componentes principais, o sistema carótico e o vértebro-basilar. O sistema carótico na cutia é responsável pela vascularização do cérebro anterior em quase sua totalidade. O sistema vértebro-basilar é responsável pela vascularização do cérebro posterior (medula oblonga, pirâmide, corpo trapezóide, o cerebelo e ponte e parte do terço caudal do cérebro anterior), através das artérias cerebrais caudais, originárias dos ramos terminais da artéria basilar. As principais artérias presentes na superfície do encéfalo incluem a basilar que é ímpar, e as pares: artérias vertebrais, cerebelar caudal, trigemial, cerebelar rostral, ramo terminal da basilar, cerebral caudal, ramo comunicante caudal da carótida cerebral, carótida cerebral, ramo comunicante rostral da carótida cerebral, corióidearostral, ramo medial do ramo comunicante rostral, oftálmica interna, cerebral média e artéria cerebral rostral