MAPPING OF EXISTING MARICULTURE ACTIVITIES IN SOUTH-EAST SULAWESI “POTENTIAL, CURRENT AND FUTURE STATUS”

The present study identifies existing mariculture activities and its constraints in SE Sulawesi, along with its geo-physical attributes in the Province.This allows for a better understanding the potential, current and future status of mariculture development in the area and making sure its sustainability. The study was conducted to map the existing mariculture activities in SE Sulawesi. Data collection was performed in June 2009. Spatial and attribute data of the existing mariculture were acquired by interviewing fish farmer using open-ended questionnaire and analyzed using ArcGIS 9.x. Key water quality parameters consisted of temperature, dissolved oxygen, pH, salinity, depth, clarity, and turbidity and analyzed using STORET Indeks. Three big clusters of existing mariculture activities are located in Kendari, Muna and Buton areas, collectively serving as both a source of mariculture products and a market destination or transit location. All surveyed locations of existing mariculture activities in SE Sulawesi show relatively optimal water quality conditions. Site capacity and suitability analysis of existing or potential areas of mariculture activities and development have largely not been considered by stakeholders involved in managing coastal areas, resulting in crowded and unmanaged development with multiple overlapping economic activities in some areas. Piloting of integrated ‘value-adding’ mariculture industries (e.g. raw material, processed products and ‘ready to eat’ industries) might help ease some if not all of the existing economic problems of the mariculture sector

Trajetória profissional de egressos em Fonoaudiologia

OBJETIVOS: compreender aspectos da trajetória profissional e continuidade acadêmica dada aos estudos pelos egressos de Fonoaudiologia. MÉTODO: foram convidados 250 egressos do curso de Fonoaudiologia/UFMG da instituição de origem (Primeira a décima turma), submetidos a um questionário de questões objetivas relativas à situação profissional, continuidade de estudos e formação acadêmica. Análise estatística: software Epi Info 6.04 (Testes Qui-quadrado e Exato de Fisher). RESULTADOS: a maioria dos egressos era do sexo feminino, média de idade de 25,7 anos (±1,7) e tempo de graduação entre 1,9 a quase 3 anos. A maior parte (55%) não tem na Fonoaudiologia a única fonte de renda; a jornada de trabalho semanal foi maior para quem vive exclusivamente do trabalho fonoaudiológico tendo realização profissional, mas não financeira. A maioria dos que não vivem da Fonoaudiologia não se sente nem financeiramente (97,2%) nem profissionalmente (69,4%) realizados (p<0,05). No grupo de egressos que vivem exclusivamente do trabalho, a avaliação sobre a formação acadêmica foi em sua maioria de muito boa a ótima. Dos que não vivem exclusivamente do trabalho, a formação mostrou-se igualmente dividida entre ruim e bom quanto em muito bom e ótimo (p= 0,03). 50% dos egressos relataram grande dificuldade para inserção no mercado de trabalho. CONCLUSÕES: o aumento da idade, maior tempo de graduação, jornada de trabalho acima de 20 horas, avaliação positiva sobre a formação acadêmica são aspectos que contribuíram para independência financeira do egresso fonoaudiólogo. Os alunos que relatam menores dificuldades na inserção do mercado de trabalho avaliaram o curso de graduação mais positivamente (muito bom /ótimo)

Understanding the clinical spectrum of complicated Plasmodium vivax malaria: a systematic review on the contributions of the Brazilian literature

The resurgence of the malaria eradication agenda and the increasing number of severe manifestation reports has contributed to a renewed interested in the Plasmodium vivax infection. It is the most geographically widespread parasite causing human malaria, with around 2.85 billion people living under risk of infection. The Brazilian Amazon region reports more than 50% of the malaria cases in Latin America and since 1990 there is a marked predominance of this species, responsible for 85% of cases in 2009. However, only a few complicated cases of P. vivax have been reported from this region. A systematic review of the Brazilian indexed and non-indexed literature on complicated cases of vivax malaria was performed including published articles, masters' dissertations, doctoral theses and national congresses' abstracts. The following information was retrieved: patient characteristics (demographic, presence of co-morbidities and, whenever possible, associated genetic disorders); description of each major clinical manifestation. As a result, 27 articles, 28 abstracts from scientific events' annals and 13 theses/dissertations were found, only after 1987. Most of the reported information was described in small case series and case reports of patients from all the Amazonian states, and also in travellers from Brazilian non-endemic areas. The more relevant clinical complications were anaemia, thrombocytopaenia, jaundice and acute respiratory distress syndrome, present in all age groups, in addition to other more rare clinical pictures. Complications in pregnant women were also reported. Acute and chronic co-morbidities were frequent, however death was occasional. Clinical atypical cases of malaria are more frequent than published in the indexed literature, probably due to a publication bias. In the Brazilian Amazon (considered to be a low to moderate intensity area of transmission), clinical data are in accordance with the recent findings of severity described in diverse P. vivax endemic areas (especially anaemia in Southeast Asia), however in this region both children and adults are affected. Finally, gaps of knowledge and areas for future research are opportunely pointed out

Quality of life of caregivers for patients of cerebrovascular accidents: association of (socio-demographic) characteristics and burden

OBJECTIVE Investigating the association between quality of life with socio-demographic characteristics and the burden of caregivers for individuals with cerebrovascular accident sequelae. METHOD A descriptive, cross-sectional study with a sample composed of 136 caregivers. For data collection, a semi-structured questionnaire, the Barthel, Burden Interview and Short-Form-36 scales were used. Correlation analysis, t-Student test and F-test were used for the analysis in order to compare averages. RESULTS Significant averages in quality of life were demonstrated in association with female caregivers and those over 60 years in the field 'functional capacity,' and in the domains of 'mental health' and 'vitality' for those with higher income. Regarding burden association, the highlighted areas were 'functional capacity,' 'physical aspects,' 'emotional aspects' and 'pain.' CONCLUSION The creation of public policies and social support to effectively reduce the burden on caregivers is a necessity

Optimization methods for electric power systems: An overview

Power systems optimization problems are very difficult to solve because power systems are very large, complex, geographically widely distributed and are influenced by many unexpected events. It is therefore necessary to employ most efficient optimization methods to take full advantages in simplifying the formulation and implementation of the problem. This article presents an overview of important mathematical optimization and artificial intelligence (AI) techniques used in power optimization problems. Applications of hybrid AI techniques have also been discussed in this article

P301S Mutant Human Tau Transgenic Mice Manifest Early Symptoms of Human Tauopathies with Dementia and Altered Sensorimotor Gating

Tauopathies are neurodegenerative disorders characterized by the accumulation of abnormal tau protein leading to cognitive and/or motor dysfunction. To understand the relationship between tau pathology and behavioral impairments, we comprehensively assessed behavioral abnormalities in a mouse tauopathy model expressing the human P301S mutant tau protein in the early stage of disease to detect its initial neurological manifestations. Behavioral abnormalities, shown by open field test, elevated plus-maze test, hot plate test, Y-maze test, Barnes maze test, Morris water maze test, and/or contextual fear conditioning test, recapitulated the neurological deficits of human tauopathies with dementia. Furthermore, we discovered that prepulse inhibition (PPI), a marker of sensorimotor gating, was enhanced in these animals concomitantly with initial neuropathological changes in associated brain regions. This finding provides evidence that our tauopathy mouse model displays neurofunctional abnormalities in prodromal stages of disease, since enhancement of PPI is characteristic of amnestic mild cognitive impairment, a transitional stage between normal aging and dementia such as Alzheimer's disease (AD), in contrast with attenuated PPI in AD patients. Therefore, assessment of sensorimotor gating could be used to detect the earliest manifestations of tauopathies exemplified by prodromal AD, in which abnormal tau protein may play critical roles in the onset of neuronal dysfunctions

Thrombocytopenia in malaria: who cares?

Despite not being a criterion for severe malaria, thrombocytopenia is one of the most common complications of both Plasmodium vivax and Plasmodium falciparum malaria. In a systematic review of the literature, platelet counts under 150,000/mm³ ranged from 24-94% in patients with acute malaria and this frequency was not different between the two major species that affected humans. Minor bleeding is mentioned in case reports of patients with P. vivax infection and may be explained by medullary compensation with the release of mega platelets in the peripheral circulation by megakaryocytes, thus maintaining a good primary haemostasis. The speculated mechanisms leading to thrombocytopenia are: coagulation disturbances, splenomegaly, bone marrow alterations, antibody-mediated platelet destruction, oxidative stress and the role of platelets as cofactors in triggering severe malaria. Data from experimental models are presented and, despite not being rare, there is no clear recommendation on the adequate management of this haematological complication. In most cases, a conservative approach is adopted and platelet counts usually revert to normal ranges a few days after efficacious antimalarial treatment. More studies are needed to specifically clarify if thrombocytopenia is the cause or consequence of the clinical disease spectrum