Glass-ionomer Adhesives in Orthodontics: Clinical Implications and Future Research Directions

During the past ten years significant advances have been made in the development of glass-ionomer bonding adhesives. The beneficial effects of fluoride are well documented and an agent which reduces or prevents a white spot lesion that commonly occurs clinically, is desirable. There has been a notable lack of randomized clinical trials to determine the prevalence of white spot lesions after orthodontic treatment although it is often reported in the literature. White spot lesions pose health and esthetic problems and their proper clinical management has yet to be resolved. The objective of this paper Is to review the literature in this area and suggest a rationale for a clinical trial to assess the efficiency of glass-ionomer adhesives in facing the problem of decalcification and study the bond strength of these materials

Near-universal hospitalization of US emergency department patients with cancer and febrile neutropenia

IMPORTANCE: Febrile neutropenia (FN) is the most common oncologic emergency and is among the most deadly. Guidelines recommend risk stratification and outpatient management of both pediatric and adult FN patients deemed to be at low risk of complications or mortality, but our prior single-center research demonstrated that the vast majority (95%) are hospitalized. OBJECTIVE: From a nationwide perspective, to determine the proportion of cancer patients of all ages hospitalized after an emergency department (ED) visit for FN, and to analyze variability in hospitalization rates. Our a priori hypothesis was that >90% of US cancer-associated ED FN visits would end in hospitalization. DESIGN: Analysis of data from the Nationwide Emergency Department Sample, 2006-2014. SETTING: Stratified probability sample of all US ED visits. PARTICIPANTS: Inclusion criteria were: (1) Clinical Classification Software code indicating cancer, (2) diagnostic code indicating fever, and (3) diagnostic code indicating neutropenia. We excluded visits ending in transfer. EXPOSURE: The hospital at which the visit took place. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES: Our main outcome is the proportion of ED FN visits ending in hospitalization, with an a priori hypothesis of >90%. Our secondary outcomes are: (a) hospitalization rates among subsets, and (b) proportion of variability in the hospitalization rate attributable to which hospital the patient visited, as measured by the intra-class correlation coefficient (ICC). RESULTS: Of 348,868 visits selected to be representative of all US ED visits, 94% ended in hospitalization (95% Confidence Interval [CI] 93-94%). Each additional decade of age conferred 1.23x increased odds of hospitalization. Those with private (92%), self-pay (92%), and other (93%) insurance were less likely to be hospitalized than those with public insurance (95%, odds ratios [OR] 0.74-0.76). Hospitalization was least likely at non-metropolitan hospitals (84%, OR 0.15 relative to metropolitan teaching hospitals), and was also less likely at metropolitan non-teaching hospitals (94%, OR 0.64 relative to metropolitan teaching hospitals). The ICC adjusted for hospital random effects and patient and hospital characteristics was 26% (95%CI 23-29%), indicating that 26% of the variability in hospitalization rate was attributable to which hospital the patient visited. CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE: Nearly all cancer-associated ED FN visits in the US end in hospitalization. Inter-hospital variation in hospitalization practices explains 26% of the limited variability in hospitalization decisions. Simple, objective tools are needed to improve risk stratification for ED FN patients

Environmental regulation and international trade patterns for agro-industrial under a South-North Perspective

This paper aims at examining the relation between the international trade and the environment, particularly focused on sensitive agribusiness sectors. It consists on an empirical test to the conflicting positions supported by economists, some following the traditional approach (trade-off or neoclassical), while others supporting the Porter’s hypothesis, which considers that impacts of the stricter environmental regulation can benefit the trade competitiveness. A Heckscher-Ohlin- Vanek model was applied to net exports as the dependent variable. The agricultural products analyzed were total agriculture, rice, maize, soybean, wheat, dairy and swine; run for 97 countries, divided as developing and developed, in a cross-section approach. This modeling allows including the environmental endowment as explanatory variables. Moreover the Environmental Performance Index (Esty et al, 2008) was also tried as explanatory variables in order to catch any effect of the environmental regulation on the trade patterns. Results were not conclusively as they show that the net exports of the selected products, considered environmentally sensitive, can be affected even positively or negatively (neoclassical approach) by the environmental regulation. The results depend on the products. A remarkable outcome to highlight is that the dummy for developing countries and developed countries was significant, pointing that for rice, for example, it makes difference being a developing country, as well as it does for wheat, being a developed country.Trade, environmental regulation, agribusiness, Environmental Economics and Policy, International Relations/Trade,

Efecto del extracto de Casearia Corymbosa sobre la germinación de Passiflora edulis var. edulis

Basado en el conocimiento etnobotánico de comunidades campesinas del Tolima, se evaluó la actividad biológica del extracto acuoso de las hojas de Casearia corymbosa sobre la germinación de semillas de Passiflora edulis var. edulis (Gulupa). Se siguió el método tradicional para la obtención Del extracto acuoso, el cual fue diluido varias veces para preparar 12 tratamientos experimentales, los cuales fueron utilizados en un ensayo de germinación (in vitro) y comparados con 3 tratamientos control com Acido giberélico (GA3) y 2 tratamientos control con agua destilada. Se realizó una prueba de tetrazolium para determinar la viabilidad de las semillas y después se montó un ensayo in vitro, de diseño DCA, com 17 tratamientos y 1700 semillas. El porcentaje de germinación (G%) se midió cada 10 días durante 70 días y los resultados se analizaron estadísticamente con el programa R (2.8.1.). Se encontraron diferencias muy significativas entre los tratamientos con una prueba ANAVA. Se determinó con uma prueba LSD que los 2 mejores tratamientos no fueron diferentes entre sí, pero fueron diferentes del resto de tratamientos. Los mejores resultados en el G% alcanzaron el 94% y 81%. Los resultados sustentan la hipótesis de investigación, la cual propone que dependiendo de la concentración, el extracto de las hojas de C. corymbosa, puede ser tan efectivo como el GA3 en la promoción de la germinación de semillas

CONSIDERAÇÕES SOBRE O SISTEMA DE GESTÃO DE INFRAESTRUTURA NO CAMPUS “LUIZ DE QUEIROZ” DA UNIVERSIDADE DE SÃO PAULO

O presente trabalho é um estudo de caso a respeito do sistema de gestão de infraestrutura do Campus “Luiz de Queiroz” da Universidade de São Paulo, localizado na cidade de Piracicaba, com enfoque no atendimento realizado pela Coordenadoria do Campus à Escola Superior de Agricultura Luiz de “Queiroz”. Visa, primeiramente, entender e realizar o mapeamento dos processos de geração de demandas para prestação de serviços de manutenção predial. Para tanto, apresenta um fluxograma do processo de atendimento dessas demandas – com indicação das interfaces existentes. A mensuração e comparação dos dados existentes e consolidados permitiram a avaliação de desempenho do órgão prestador de serviços no que diz respeito a custos, qualidade, confiabilidade, flexibilidade e rapidez. Finalmente, aplicada a metodologia FMEA – Failure Mode and Effect Analysis, são propostas melhorias a esses processos, bem como sugeridos procedimentos adequados de comunicação que visem trazer transparência e informação de suas etapas intermediárias, tanto à Unidade-Cliente, quanto ao Órgão-Fornecedor

A UNIVERSIDADE PÚBLICA COMO PADRÃO DE EXCELÊNCIA EM COMPRAS GOVERNAMENTAIS: O PROJETO PGS-COMPRAS DA UNIVERSIDADE DE SÃO PAULO.

Neste artigo analisamos o projeto denominado “Padrão Gerencial do Sistema de Compras” (PGS-Compras), implantado em março de 2006, pela Coordenadoria do Campus Luiz de Queiroz da Universidade de São Paulo – Brasil. Este projeto observa dois pressupostos teóricos: adoção de técnicas gerenciais e observância aos princípios da Administração Pública. Quanto ao primeiro aspecto, se encontram aplicados modelos teóricos de padronização (ciclos PDCA e SDCA) e melhoria contínua de processos (Kaizen), de estabelecimento de padrões e indicadores de desempenho (padrões históricos, desempenho-meta, benchmarking e padrões absolutos), assim como de sistematização dos fluxos de aquisição de materiais (evoluindo-se do princípio MRP I – Materials Requirements Planning, para a abordagem MRP II – Manufactoring Resource Planning). Com relação aos princípios da Administração Pública, preliminarmente conceituada a Supremacia do Interesse Público, são abordados os princípios estabelecidos no artigo 37, caput, da Constituição Federal Brasileira: Legalidade, Impessoalidade, Moralidade, Publicidade e Eficiência. Posteriormente, são sucintamente analisados outros diplomas legais que regulamentam a execução de compras por órgãos públicos, especialmente as Leis Federais nos 8.666/1993 e 10.520/2002 e o Decreto Estadual nº 51.469/2007. Finalmente, são expostos os resultados gerenciais alcançados na aplicação dos pressupostos teóricos e legais e da metodologia proposta no projeto: eficiência na utilização dos recursos públicos, desburocratização, aperfeiçoamento contínuo de processos e obediência aos princípios da Administração Pública. Esses resultados possibilitaram a classificação do Projeto PGS-Compras como finalista, na categoria “Excelência em Gestão Pública”, do “Prêmio Governador Mario Covas”, promovido pelo Governo do Estado de São Paulo, em suas últimas duas edições, nos anos de 2008 e 2009. Palavras-chave: Planejamento Acadêmico e Administrativo; Registro e Controle Acadêmico e Administrativo; Planejamento Estratégico de Instituições de Ensino Superior; Controle estatístico por processo; Fluxograma; Gestão baseada em atividades; Qualidade do processo

PII- Potential Innovation Index: a Tool to Benchmark Innovation Capabilities in International Context

Benchmarking has become a useful tool for companies, enabling better decision-making and improvement of internal practices towards world-class performance. Nevertheless, concerning SMEs’ innovation capabilities from traditional sectors, benchmarking applications have been scarce. This article uses a predefined metric named the “Potential Innovation Index (PII)”, based on internal practices of the firms to compare innovation capabilities of two groups of similar SMEs from 2 different geographical, cultural and social contexts. Results were used to analyze similarities and differences, strengths and weaknesses of the groups. Obtained results confirm the difficulties to innovate of this type firms, no matters the sector or country, as over 55% of the companies studied were evaluated as having a low innovative performance. However, regarding the index’s constitutive practices, significant differences were found. Which leads to infer that innovation support strategies to enhance innovation must be adapted to the local context and culture