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The objective of this study is to verify the degree of correlation between the variables: time of actuation in the accounting area, parents’ schooling and salary range with the presence (or not) of heuristics in decisions related to the budget. Previous studies have shown that decisions related to the business budget with the support of heuristics are recurrent, which, succinctly, would be mental shortcuts used by decision-makers to facilitate or shorten the decision-making process absence of technical and scientific criteria, can lead to a wrong decision, causing damage to the organization. Thus, to identify if the variables of interest of the research contribute to explain the occurrence of heuristics linked to the budget, this study was elaborated. The data collection was done using an electronic questionnaire, distributed to graduate students of public and private institutions in Foz do Iguaçu, Cascavel, and other cities in the Western region of Paraná. After carrying out the statistical tests proposed by the study, it was verified that there are indeed heuristics in the budget decisions made by the sample, but, it was not possible to confirm the working hypotheses formulated for the study, since in the sample, there was no correlation between the variables tested by the authors and the presence of heuristics in budget decisions, a result that is in line with previous research related to the topic, suggesting that the topic is still incipient in the literature, lacking larger and more in-depth studies for its understanding.

The enzyme 2′-5′ oligoadenylate synthase (OAS) is one of the key interferon-induced antiviral factors that act through inhibition of viral replication. In chickens, there is a single well-characterized OAS gene, oligoadenylate synthase-like (OASL) that has been shown to be upregulated after infection with various viruses. However, a deeper understanding of how chicken OASL acts against viral infection is still necessary. In this study, we tested the hypothesis that OASL short interfering RNA (siRNA)–mediated knockdown would decrease the host gene expression response to the Newcastle disease virus (NDV) by impacting antiviral pathways. To assess our hypothesis, a chicken fibroblast cell line (DF-1) was infected with the NDV (LaSota strain) and OASL expression was knocked down using a specific siRNA. The level of NDV viral RNA in the cells and the expression of interferon response- and apoptosis-related genes were evaluated by quantitative PCR at 4, 8, and 24 h postinfection (hpi). Knockdown of OASL increased the level of NDV viral RNA at 4, 8, and 24 hpi (P 0.05). The lack of differential expression suggests that knockdown of OASL resulted in a decreased response to NDV infection. Within NDV-infected cells, OASL knockdown reduced expression of signal transducer and activator of transcription 1, interferon alfa receptor subunit 1, eukaryotic translation initiation factor 2 alpha kinase 2, ribonuclease L, caspase 8 (CASP8) and caspase 9 (CASP9) at 4 hpi, CASP9 at 8 hpi, and caspase 3, CASP8, and CASP9 at 24 hpi (P

Aim of the study: To adjust nonlinear Gompertz model to describe the body growth and feed intake (FI) of free-range chickens of the CPK (Color Plumé) strain, receiving different levels of digestible lysine (dig-Lys), from 21 to 77 days of age. Area of study: São Cristovão, Sergipe, Brazil. Material and methods: A total of 432 one-day-old unsexed chickens were used in the study. At 21 days of age, the birds were assigned to four treatments (0.85%; 0.97%; 1.09%; 1.21%) of dig-Lys, in a completely randomized design with four replicates, with 27 birds per experimental unit. The Gompertz model was used to estimate bird growth curves related to body weight (BW) and FI at each Lys level. Main results: The tests of comparison between the parameters of the Gompertz model for each Lys level showed that parameter A varied, while parameters B (0.0329) and C (45.819) did not differ significantly. In parameter A, the dig-Lys level of 0.97% provided the highest BW estimate at maturity and maximum BW at the inflection point. Research highlights: Use of non-linear models to predict nutritional requirements, helps farmers to optimize management decisions and, thus, maximize their profit. According to Gompertz model, it was possible to infer that the inclusion of 0.97% dig-Lys in the diet of mixed batches of free-range chickens of the CPK strain meets their nutritional requirements.

Our previous studies have shown that methionine supplementation could help to attenuate the effects of heat stress on the metabolism of broiler chickens. Here we investigated for the first time the effects of methionine supplementation in the form of DL-methionyl-DL-methionine on broilers subjected to heat stress during the growth phase. Broilers were divided into two groups; one group was reared under thermoneutral conditions and the other under continuous heat stress (30 ± 1 °C, 60% relative humidity). Both groups were subdivided into three dietary treatments: a methionine-deficient (MD) diet, a diet supplemented with free methionine (DL-M), and a diet supplemented with methionine dipeptide (DL-MM). Broilers raised under chronic heat stress had lower feed intake and weight gain than broilers raised under thermoneutral conditions (P

Background. Parkinson’s disease affects approximately 1% of the worldwide population older than 60 years. This number is estimated to double by 2030, increasing the global burden of the disease. Patients with Parkinson’s disease are hospitalized 1.5 times more frequently and for longer periods than those without the disease, increasing health-related costs. Objective. To compare the characteristics and outcome of patients with and without Parkinson’s disease admitted to intensive care units (ICUs). Methods. Historical cohort study of ICU admissions in a Brazilian city over 18 years. All patients with Parkinson’s disease identified were matched for age, sex, year, and place of hospitalization with patients without the disease randomly selected from the same database. Results. The study included 231 patients with Parkinson’s disease (PD group) and 462 controls without the disease (NPD group). Compared with patients in the NPD group, those in the PD group were more frequently admitted with lower level of consciousness and increased APACHE II severity score but required less frequently vasoactive drugs. In total, 42.4% of the patients in the PD group were admitted to the ICUs due to sepsis or trauma. Although these patients had longer hospital stay, the mortality rates were comparable between groups. Parkinson’s disease was not associated with mortality, even when controlled for associated factors of disease severity. Conclusion. Although patients with Parkinson’s disease were admitted with higher severity scores and remained in the ICU for a longer time, their mortality rate was not higher than that in patients without the disease.

his study was carried out to detect and characterize Coxiella burnetii in ruminant milk samples and in different tick species from seropositive farms in four Lebanese regions. Milk and tick samples were screened for C. burnetii presence by quantitative real-time PCR (qPCR) targeting IS1111 region followed by multispacer sequence typing (MST). The overall positive percentages of 9.6% (27/282) and 95.45% (84/88) for C. burnetii were recorded in ruminant milk and tick samples, respectively. In detail, the C. burnetii DNA was recorded in 52/54 (96.3%) of Rhipicephalus annulatus, 20/21 (95.24%) of Rhipicephalus turanicus, 6/6 (100%) of Hyalomma anatolicum, 5/6 (83.3%) of Rhipicephalus sanguineus and 1/1 of Rhipicephalus bursa. After genotyping of some IS1111-positive samples (17/111), different MST genotypes were identified. Out of 15 positive ticks, 10 were infected with MST2 genotype, 4 were infected with MST7 genotype and 1 was infected with MST57. Moreover, genotypes MST20 and MST58 were found in one cow and one goat milk samples, respectively. The present study confirmed the high genetic diversity of C. burnetii in Lebanon.

ABSTRACT: The objective of this study was to compare non-linear models fitted to the growth curves of quail to determine which model best describes their growth and check the similarity between models by analyzing parameter estimates.Weight and age data of meat-type European quail (Coturnix coturnix coturnix) of three lines were used, from an experiment in a 2 × 4 factorial arrangement in a completely randomized design, consisting of two metabolizable energy levels, four crude protein levels and six replicates. The non-linear Brody, Von Bertalanffy, Richards, Logistic and Gompertz models were used. To choose the best model, the Adjusted Coefficient of Determination, Convergence Rate, Residual Mean Square, Durbin-Watson Test, Akaike Information Criterion and Bayesian Information Criterion were applied as goodness-of-fit indicators. Cluster analysis was performed to check the similarity between models based on the mean parameter estimates. Among the studied models, Richards’ was the most suitable to describe the growth curves. The Logistic and Richards models were considered similar in the analysis with no distinction of lines as well as in the analyses of Lines 1, 2 and 3.

This article deals with the design and manufacturing of a novel class of PLA-based material specifically engineered for injection molding, suitable for food contact and characterized by a good balance of mechanical properties and thermal resistance. A commercial PLA grade was modified by blending it with microlamellar talc as reinforcing filler, poly(butylene succinate) (PBS), and poly(butylene terephthalate) (PBT) as secondary polymeric phases. Ternary blend/talc biocomposites were achieved. The different constituents of the biocomposites were compatibilized by reactive compounding extrusion using maleic anhydride (MAH) grafted PLA (PLA-MA). The thermal properties of the compounds prior and after injection molding were characterized by differential scanning calorimetry. The mechanical response of the injection molded materials was evaluated by flat indentation and flexural tests. The mechanical properties of the PLA/talc-based biocomposites and crystallinity of PLA can be controlled by fine tuning the blend by the addition of PBS and PBT in the formulation. In particular, biocomposites characterized by good strength and toughness can be obtained by injection molding, without affecting thermal stability. Based on the experimental findings, the PLA-based formulations pose; therefore, solid bases for replacing oil-based plastics in several markets, specifically in the segment of food and pharmaceutical packaging., INTRODUCTION In many industrial applications, the well-known class of biodegradable and compostable polymers, the biopolymers of poly (lactic acid) (PLA), is recently arising as a green and eco-sustainable alternative for [...]

Objetivo: avaliar e sintetizar a literatura existente sobre o impacto do uso da educação baseada em simulação no conhecimento e prática de enfermeiros e estudantes de enfermagem em relação aos pacientes oncológicos. Método: revisão integrativa da literatura utilizando a metodologia proposta por Ganong. Coleta de dados nas bases MEDLINE e CINAHL, aplicando termos do Medical Subject Headings (MeSH). Resultados: 12 artigos foram selecionados, dos quais duas categorias de análise foram definidas, sendo elas, o uso de ensino baseado em simulação entre (1) profissionais e (2) estudantes de enfermagem. Conclusão: O ensino baseado em simulação é uma temática relativamente nova e devido a isto não existem muitos estudos acerca desse tópico nos periódicos científicos. Porém, os estudos existentes demonstram que o uso da simulação clínica é uma ferramenta que vem mostrando resultados positivos no processo de ensino de profissionais e estudantes de enfermagem relacionados a oncologia clínica.

The collection of Japanese prints, albums and illustrated books (ehon) in the Museum of Oriental Art in Venice is the result of the last stop in Japan of a journey to the Far East of Prince Henry Bourbon-Parma, Count of Bardi and his wife Adelgunde of Bragança, during the years 1887-1889. The gathering of more than thirty thousand objects became the core of the present collection. Among these there are about 500 illustrated books of famous ukiyoe masters, surimono, and colour prints nishikie. The creation of catalogue entries in Japanese and Italian and the analysis of each print reveals an amazing quantity of unpublished ukiyoe masterpieces and allows a division into different groups according to the subject matter. At the same time, this distinction into different genres shows an interesting tendency in the formation of the collection together with a possible new classification of the prints themselves. This study aims to shed a new light on this particular collection while focusing on a series of illustrated books by Katsushika Hokusai (1760-1848). Among these the famous volumes of the Manga, the illustrated books on warriors, an unusual album with some prints from the One Hundred Views of Mount Fuji and a selection from the five volumes dedicated to teach the artisans how to draw all kind of decorations.

Tissue culture techniques have been employed for bromeliad mass propagation by means of the morphogenetic route of nodular cluster cultures (NCs). This study aimed to assess protein, carbohydrate and global DNA methylation (GDM) level dynamics during NCs induction from Vriesea reitzii seeds. Seeds were inoculated into Murashige and Skoog (MS) liquid medium supplemented with 4 µM α-naphthaleneacetic acid (NAA) to induce NCs and in culture medium without plant growth regulators to form normal seedlings. Samples collected at 0, 3, 7, 10, 14, and 21 days of culture were analyzed. All parameters assessed showed the same variation pattern. However, seeds inducing NCs showed significantly lower starch (6.0 mg g-1 FM), carbohydrate (10.7 mg g-1 FM) and GDM (11.0%) levels than seeds forming normal seedlings after 21 days in culture. On the other hand, the protein content (9.1 mg g-1 FM) was significantly higher during induction. NCs induction process through seeds is the result of gene reprogramming in the explant, which leads to morphological, biochemical and metabolic alterations. This involves dedifferentiation, high cell proliferation, high energy demand and protein synthesis, which is related to elevated metabolic activity.

Internet-of-Things (IoT) and sensor technologies have enabled the collection of data in a distributed fashion for analysis and evidence-based decision making. However, security concerns regarding the source, confidentiality and integrity of the data arise. The most common method of protecting data transmission in sensor systems is Transport Layer Security (TLS) or its datagram counterpart (DTLS) today, but exist an alternative option based on Distributed Ledger Technology (DLT) that promise strong security, ease of use and potential for large scale integration of heterogeneous sensor systems. A DLT such as the IOTA Tangle offers great potential to improve sensor data exchange. This paper presents L2Sec, a cryptographic protocol which is able to secure data exchanged over the IOTA Tangle. This protocol is suitable for implementation on constrained devices, such as common IoT devices, leading to greater scalability. The first experimental results evidence the effectiveness of the approach and advocate for the integration of an hardware secure element to improve the overall security of the protocol. The L2Sec source code is released as open source repository on GitHub.

The Dredged Material Decision Tool (DMDT) was developed by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) to allow project managers, stakeholders, and communities to quantify environmental, economic, and social considerations of using dredged material for beneficial purposes. Dredged material may be disposed in a confined disposal facility (CDF); however, this option is unfavorable because of the finite capacity problems these facilities pose. A more sustainable option is to use dredged materials beneficially such as construction material, for habitat restoration, or for brownfield remediation projects. This study demonstrates the applicability of the DMDT to three relevant candidate projects: (1) Dog Beach, Greenwood, and Lee Street Beaches (Evanston, IL, USA); (2) New York-New Jersey Harbor (New York/New Jersey); and (3) Poplar Island (Chesapeake Bay). The DMDT requires the project information and then completion of worksheets with each criteria (biophysical environment, economic, governance, social, and built environment) ranked, weighed, and scored. The DMDT is applied for all potential alternatives and the results are then analyzed to select the best beneficial reuse alternative. It was found that for the beaches in Evanston, the most beneficial option was on-beach placement with hydraulic dredging. The best option for the New Jersey Harbor was found to be using for brownfield and landfill remediation. The best option for Poplar Island was the lateral and vertical expansion of 50% uplands and 50% wetlands. Overall, DMDT is found to be a valuable tool to facilitate the evaluation of multi-criteria based on the project-specific data and help select the best beneficial use alternative for the dredged material.

O trabalho analisa a relação e a influência dos vários índices da Brasil, Bolsa, Balcão no Índice de Sustentabilidade Empresarial (ISE). A amostra foi selecionada por meio de séries e das variações diárias de cada índice entre 2 de janeiro de 2012 e 29 de dezembro de 2016, com 22.284 observações no total. Para analisar o retorno dos índices foram delimitadas as variações diárias de cada um, naquele período. Os resultados demonstraram que a relação do ISE com os demais índices é forte, positiva e estatisticamente significante. Portanto, esses resultados apontam que as empresas buscam se legitimar participando desse Índice, isto é, buscam incorporar cada vez mais estruturas isomórficas que refletem o ambiente institucional. E assim, a adoção do ISE pode ser apenas mais um rótulo. Com isso, questiona-se a legitimidade desse Índice, pois, se existe relação com todos os indicadores, basta às empresas se suprimirem às regras dos índices que são pertinentes aos seus interesses. As principais influências positivas no Índice de Sustentabilidade Empresarial foram estabelecidas pelos índices IGCT, IVBX, ICO2, IGCX e UTIL. Já os índices IFNC, IMOB, ICON e IBOV influenciam de forma negativa o ISE. Logo, a legitimidade proporcionada pelo ISE pode ser atrelada à composição dos demais índices.

Abstract: The objective of this work was to use a marker-assisted selection for pyramiding the resistance loci Rpv1 and Rpv3.1 in grapevine (Vitis vinifera), and to evaluate their conferred resistance against Brazilian downy mildew (Plasmopara viticola) isolates. A progeny of 23 plants, segregating for the two resistance loci, was obtained by the cross between the Gf 2000-305-122 and Gf.Ga-52-42 genotypes. The progeny was genotyped with four microsatellite markers and phenotyped for resistance to P. viticola using a bioassay with leaf discs. Six plants containing the Rpv1 and Rpv3.1 pyramided loci were identified by the molecular analysis. Plants harboring the Rpv1 + Rpv3.1, Rpv3.1, and Rpv1 loci showed 12.8, 30.0, and 33.1 sporangiophores per leaf disc, respectively. Plants with no resistance loci showed a dense sporulation. The phenotypic analysis of the expression of the two pyramided loci was only confirmed for four plants that showed the highest resistance level, i.e., mean value of 1.8 sporangiophores. A high-throughput method for pyramiding the Rpv1 and Rpv3.1 loci was developed, which confirmed the increased resistance to P. viticola. The selected elite genetic material shows a high resistance to downy mildew and elevated enological potential for grapevine breeding in Brazil.

Two experiments were conducted to assess gender (Experiment 1) and age (Experiment 2) effects on the expression of genes related to lipid metabolism in broiler chickens. The expression of fatty acid synthase (FAS), apolipoprotein A-I (APOA-I), apolipoprotein B (APOB), adiponectin (ADIPOQ), liver kinase B1 (LKB1), and AMP-activated protein kinase α-1 (AMPKα-1) genes was evaluated by qRT-PCR. In Experiment 1, we observed a gender effect on feed intake, as male broilers presented greater feed intake than females. Female broilers presented greater gene expression of FAS, and lower expression of ADIPOQ and AMPKα-1, than males. A gender effect was not observed for the gene expression of APOA-I, APOB, or LKB1. In Experiment 2, there was a significant age effect on feed intake and weight gain. Broilers 42 days of age presented greater feed intake and weight gain than 21-day-old birds. 21-day-old broilers showed greater expression of APOA-I, ADIPOQ, LKB1, and AMPKα-1, and lower APOB gene expression in the liver than 42-day-old broilers. Age had no effect on FAS gene expression. Our results show that the gender and age could act on the expression of genes related to lipid synthesis, such as FAS and APOB, and also on genes related to lipid oxidation, such as ADIPOQ, LKB1, and AMPK.

We evaluated the effects of heat stress (HS) and methionine supplementation on biological markers of stress and expression of the genes for superoxide dismutase (SOD), thioredoxin (TRx), thioredoxin reductase 1 (TRxR1) and methionine sulfoxide reductase A (MsrA) in broilers aged 1 to 21 or 22 to 42 days. The broilers were divided into two treatments, one with the recommended level of methionine supplementation (MS, supplementation of dl-2-hydroxy-4-methylthiobutanoic acid (dl-HMTBA)) and one without methionine supplementation (MD). The animals were maintained at a temperature of thermal comfort or one of HS (38°C for 24 h). Mortality was only observed in 42-day-old broilers exposed to HS and fed the MD diet, and the rate was 5%. Starter period: we observed an interaction effect between diet and temperature on the gene expression of TRxR1 and MsrA, and expression of these genes was higher in the HS animals that received the MS diet than that in birds with the MD diet. Grower period: the expression of SOD, TRxR1 and MsrA genes, activities of aspartate aminotransferase (AST) and creatine kinase (CK) and content of creatinine were influenced by both study variables. In the HS animals, the expression of these genes, AST activity and creatinine content increased and CK activity decreased. In the animals on the MD diet, the expression of these genes and AST and creatinine values were higher and the CK activity was lower than those for the birds on the MS diet. Our results indicated that under HS conditions, the supplementation with dl-HMTBA could mitigate major damage caused by stress through the action on some genes related to TRx complex activity.