Chapter 08: Conclusions and Recommendations

Here we review brief summaries by chapter and then derive some integrated conclusions across chapters. Recommendations are presented with respect to further research, outreach and policy consideration. Because several years have passed between the end of our field work and publication of this synthesis volume, we end with an epilogue that highlights changes and key events that happened at San José Llanga (SJL) and with collaborating institutions in Bolivia between 1996-9.https://digitalcommons.usu.edu/sustaining_agropastoralism/1007/thumbnail.jp

GESTÃO DA INFORMAÇÃO E O SISTEMA SMART GRID: UM ESTUDO DE CASO DA UFRN

A eficiência energética é o principal foco de uma rede elétrica inteligente, que através do autogerenciamento da rede busca realizar o consumo da energia de forma ideal, reduzindo perdas desde a geração até a distribuição para o consumidor final. O presente trabalho defende que uso de tecnologia de informação e automação em redes elétricas a fim de torná-las inteligentes (Smart Grid) melhora o processo de tomada de decisão. A metodologia adotada foi uma análise conceitual a partir da hierarquia de valor dos sistemas de informação, utilizando um estudo comparativo desse tipo de tecnologia com a usada na Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Norte. Conclui que a automação de processos aumenta a eficiência do processo, bem como a eficiência da tomada decisão, mas exige uma estratégia voltada para a gestão do conhecimento

Quantification of 3,5,7,3'-4'-Pentahydroxflavona of the aerial parts of P. guajava: Quantificação da 3,5,6,3’-4’-Pentahydroxflavona das partes aéreas da P. guajava

 Psidium guajava is popularly known as guava. It is a very common species in South America, found most often in tropical climate. It is a plant known for its anti-inflammatory property, used in folk medicine for combating intestinal discomfort, colic, colitis, among others. The leaves of P. guajava present flavonoids in their composition, with emphasis on quercetin. The flavonoid class has antioxidant properties and acts on the central nervous system through oxidative inhibition of the endoplasmic reticulum. Thus, the objective of this study was to quantify the quercetin of the aerial parts of guava. Therefore, ethanol extraction was performed, followed by fractionation with solvents of different polarities, obtaining the hexanic, dichloromethane and ethyl acetate fractions. Then, quercetin was identified in the ethyl acetate fraction by Thin Layer Chromatography (CCD), the total flavonoid content was quantified by spectrophotometry and quercetin by High Efficiency Liquid Chromatography (HPLC). The qualitative analysis in CCD of the ethyl acetate fraction revealed the presence of flavonoids. Quantitative spectrophotometry analysis showed 46.2 mg of total flavonoids per g of the ethyl acetate fraction, being 816 μg g-1 of quercetin revealed by HPLC. With this study, it was possible to identify the presence of flavonoids, and about 2% correspond to the substance quercetin, present in the ethyl acetate fraction of P. guajava. Therefore, further studies can be carried out aiming at the isolation of quercetin for application in a pharmaceutical form acting on the central nervous system

Risk Factors for Death in Children with Visceral Leishmaniasis

Visceral leishmaniasis (VL) is a deadly disease caused by a protozoan called Leishmania. It is transmitted to humans from infected animals by a sandfly bite. Most people actually manage to control the infection and do not get sick, while others develop a range of symptoms. VL impairs the production of blood components and causes the immune system to malfunction, thus anemia, bleeding, and bacterial infections often complicate the disease and can lead to death. To identify risk factors for death from VL, the authors studied 546 children in a referral center in Recife, Brazil. They looked at clinical history, physical examination and full blood counts on the assumption these could be easily assessed in peripheral health facilities. They found that the presence of fast breathing, jaundice, mucosal (e.g. gum) bleeding and bacterial infections would each increase the risk of death in three to four-fold. The presence of very low counts of neutrophils and platelets would increase the risk of death in three and 12-fold respectively. This knowledge can help clinicians to anticipate the use of antibiotics or transfusion of blood products in high risk patients, who would potentially benefit from transfer to centers with advanced life support facilities

Gestão da Informação e o Sistema Smart Grid: Um Estudo de Caso da UFRN

The energetic efficiency and the reliability in the electricity distribution are tendencies in this kind of service. The present essay advocates that the utilization of information and automation technology in electric grids, in order to make them intelligent (Smart Grid), improves the decision-making process. It was used a conceptual analysis about the information system's value hierarchy in the methodology, making a comparative study of this kind of technology with the one used at the Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Norte. We concluded that the automation in processes improves its efficiency, as well as the efficiency in the decision-making process, but it requires a strategy that is focused in knowledge management.A eficiência energética e a confiabilidade na distribuição de energia elétrica são tendências de foco nesse tipo de serviço. O presente trabalho defende que uso de tecnologia de informação e automação em redes elétricas a fim de torná-las inteligentes (Smart Grid) melhora o processo de tomada de decisão. A metodologia adotada foi uma análise conceitual a partir da hierarquia de valor dos sistemas de informação, utilizando um estudo comparativo desse tipo de tecnologia com a usada na Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Norte. Conclui que a automação de processos aumenta a eficiência do processo, bem como a eficiência da tomada decisão, mas exige uma estratégia voltada para a gestão do conhecimento

Effects of a Competitive Season on Autonomic Heart Rate Modulation in Field Soccer Athletes

International Journal of Exercise Science 12(2): 1198-1205, 2019. The physical demands of soccer combined with the rigor of the competitive season may have a substantial impact on autonomic modulation in field soccer athletes. The number of sudden death cases associated with soccer may be related to the physical training required to maintain performance and fitness, minimal time for recovery, and recurrent game participation. It is possible to identify individuals at risk of cardiovascular events by measuring heart rate variability (HRV), which is an indirect method for assessing autonomic activity. Therefore, the objective of this study was to analyze HRV before and after a period of field soccer competition. We evaluated 17 healthy male professional field soccer athletes and 12 untrained controls. The HRV was analyzed during supine rest before and after a period of field soccer competition. The following parameters were evaluated: interval R wave variation (RR), standard deviation of normal–normal intervals (SDNN), Root-mean-square successive difference (RMSSD), low frequency component (LF), high-frequency component (HF) and sympathovagal balance (LF/HF). Results indicated that the RR (p\u3c .05, ES: 2.77), SDNN (p \u3c .05, ES: 1.70), LF (p\u3c .05, ES: 1.86), HF (pp\u3c .05, ES: 0.89) all decreased after the competition in the professional athletes with no change observed in the control group. In conclusion, the data suggest that a soccer competition negatively influences the autonomic regulation of heart rate

End-user assessment of an innovative clothing-based sensor developed for pressure injury prevention: a mixed-method study

This study aimed to evaluate a clothing prototype that incorporates sensors for the evaluation of pressure, temperature, and humidity for the prevention of pressure injuries, namely regarding physical and comfort requirements. A mixed-method approach was used with concurrent quantitative and qualitative data triangulation. A structured questionnaire was applied before a focus group of experts to evaluate the sensor prototypes. Data were analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics and the discourse of the collective subject, followed by method integration and meta-inferences. Nine nurses, experts in this topic, aged 32.66 ± 6.28 years and with a time of profession of 10.88 ± 6.19 years, participated in the study. Prototype A presented low evaluation in stiffness (1.56 ± 1.01) and roughness (2.11 ± 1.17). Prototype B showed smaller values in dimension (2.77 ± 0.83) and stiffness (3.00 ± 1.22). Embroidery was assessed as inadequate in terms of stiffness (1.88 ± 1.05) and roughness (2.44 ± 1.01). The results from the questionnaires and focus groups’ show low adequacy as to stiffness, roughness, and comfort. The participants highlighted the need for improvements regarding stiffness and comfort, suggesting new proposals for the development of sensors for clothing. The main conclusions are that Prototype A presented the lowest average scores relative to rigidity (1.56 ± 1.01), considered inadequate. This dimension of Prototype B was evaluated as slightly adequate (2.77 ± 0.83). The rigidity (1.88 ± 1.05) of Prototype A + B + embroidery was evaluated as inadequate. The prototype revealed clothing sensors with low adequacy regarding the physical requirements, such as stiffness or roughness. Improvements are needed regarding the stiffness and roughness for the safety and comfort characteristics of the device evaluated.The 4NoPressure project was co-financed by the Operational Program for Competitiveness and Internationalization (COMPETE 2020) under the PORTUGAL 2020 Partnership Agreement, with support from the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), reference number POCI-01-0247- FEDER-039869

Fluorescence studies on new potential antitumoral benzothienopyran-1-ones in solution and in liposomes

Fluorescence properties of four new potential antitumoral compounds, 3-arylbenzothieno[2,3-c]pyran-1-ones, were studied in solution and in lipid membranes of dipalmitoyl phosphatidylcholine (DPPC), egg yolk phosphatidylcholine (Egg-PC) and dioctadecyldimethylammonium bromide (DODAB). The 3-(4-methoxyphenyl)benzothieno[2,3-c]pyran-1-one (1c) exhibits the higher fluorescence quantum yields in all solvents studied. All compounds present a solvent sensitive emission, with significant red shifts in polar solvents for the methoxylated compounds. The results point to an ICT character of the excited state, more pronounced for compound 1c. Fluorescence (steady-state) anisotropy measurements of the compounds incorporated in liposomes of DPPC, DODAB and Egg-PC indicate that all compounds have two different locations, one due to a deep penetration in the lipid membrane and another corresponding to a more hydrated environment. In general, the methoxylated compounds prefer hydrated environments inside the liposomes. The 3-(4- fluorophenyl)benzothieno[2,3-c]pyran-1-one (1a) clearly prefers a hydrated environment, with some molecules located at the outer part of the liposome interface. On the contrary, the preferential location of 3-(2-fluorophenyl)benzothieno[2,3-c]pyran-1-one (1b) is in the region of lipid hydrophobic tails. Compounds with a planar geometry (1a and 1c) have higher mobility in the lipid membranes when phase transition occurs.Portugal and FEDER (Fundo Europeu de Desenvolvimento Regional), for financial support through Centro de Física (CFUM) and Centro de Química (CQ-UM) of University of Minho and through the Project PTDC/QUI/81238/2006. M.S.D. Carvalho and R.C. Calhelha acknowledge FCT for their PhD grants SFRH/BD/47052/2008 and SFRH/BD/29274/2006, respectively.Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (FCT

Gel mobility shift scanning of pectin-inducible promoter from Penicillium griseoroseum reveals the involvement of a CCAAT element in the expression of a polygalacturonase gene

Previous reports have described pgg2, a polygalacturonase-encoding gene of Penicillium griseoroseum, as an attractive model for transcriptional regulation studies, due to its high expression throughout several in vitro growth conditions, even in the presence of non-inducing sugars such as sucrose. A search for regulatory motifs in the 5' upstream regulatory sequence of pgg2 identified a putative CCAAT box that could justify this expression profile. This element, located 270 bp upstream of the translational start codon, was tested as binding target for regulatory proteins. Analysis of a 170 bp promoter fragment by electrophoretic mobility shift assay (EMSA) with nuclear extracts prepared from mycelia grown in pectin-containing culture medium revealed a high mobility complex that was subsequently confirmed by analyzing it with a double-stranded oligonucleotide spanning the CCAAT motif. A substitution in the core sequence for GTAGG partially abolished the formation of specific complexes, showing the involvement of the CCAAT box in the regulation of the polygalacturonase gene studied

New potential antitumoral fluorescent tetracyclic thieno[3,2-b]pyridine derivatives: interaction with DNA and nanosized liposomes

Fluorescence properties of two new potential antitumoral tetracyclic thieno[3,2-b]pyridine derivatives were studied in solution and in liposomes of DPPC (dipalmitoyl phosphatidylcholine), egg lecithin (phosphatidylcholine from egg yolk; Egg-PC) and DODAB (dioctadecyldimethylammonium bromide). Compound 1, pyrido[2',3':3,2]thieno[4,5-d]pyrido[1,2-a]pyrimidin-6-one, exhibits reasonably high fluorescence quantum yields in all solvents studied (0.20 ≤ ΦF ≤ 0.30), while for compound 2, 3-[(p-methoxyphenyl)ethynyl]pyrido[2',3':3,2]thieno[4,5-d]pyrido[1,2-a]pyrimidin-6-one, the values are much lower (0.01 ≤ ΦF ≤ 0.05). The interaction of these compounds with salmon sperm DNA was studied using spectroscopic methods, allowing the determination of intrinsic binding constants, Ki = (8.7 ± 0.9) × 103 M-1 for compound 1 and Ki = (5.9 ± 0.6) × 103 M-1 for 2, and binding site sizes of n = 11 ± 3 and n = 7 ± 2 base pairs, respectively. Compound 2 is the most intercalative compound in salmon sperm DNA (35%), while for compound 1 only 11% of the molecules are intercalated. Studies of incorporation of both compounds in liposomes of DPPC, Egg-PC and DODAB revealed that compound 2 is mainly located in the hydrophobic region of the lipid bilayer, while compound 1 prefers a hydrated and fluid environment