Produzindo para disponibilidade: uma aplicação da Teoria das Restrições em ambientes de produção para estoque

The objective of this paper is to present how the Theory of Constraints has recently been dealing with make to stock environments. This new format introduces interesting innovations in terms of the use of simplified Drum-Buffer-Rope method as well as ways to pull production in environments that produce in advance of demand. It also innovates by creating conditions for providing market opportunities based on the explicit assurance of product availability, hence its name: make to availability (MTA). Although it provides important contributions to production planning and control, articles that have directly addressed this issue have not been identified to date in both national and international journals.

Esverdeando a cadeia de suprimentos: algumas evidências de empresas localizadas no Brasil

The purpose of this article is to identify and analyze how Green Supply Chain Management (GSCM) practices have been adopted by high-tech companies located in Brazil in order to create guidelines to support similar companies to incorporate GSCM initiatives. This research was based on case studies carried out in some representative companies in this sector. The main results are: (a) the supply chain structure can affect both the adoption of GSCM practices and the way they are adopted, (b) the Brazilian environmental legislation and international policies are very important to boost the adoption of GSCM practices, and (c) based on the results obtained, for each one of the six GSCM practices, suggestions for a more appropriate adoption are offered to similar companies.

Um estudo sobre a certificação ISO 9001 no Brasil: mapeamento de motivações, benefícios e dificuldades

This work aims to identify the main motivations and difficulties faced by Brazilian companies to obtain ISO 9001 certification. The key quality management practices that provide support to this certification and the relationship with other types of systems, such as ISO 14001 (Environmental Management) and OHSAS 18001 (Occupational Health and Safety Management System), were also investigated. A survey research was conducted with 191 companies. The main motivations for implementing ISO 9001 are the following: internal organization improvement, production efficiency increase, and brand reliability improvement. Employee resistance was the greatest challenge found during the implementation process. On the other hand, the main benefits identified were: quality processes improvement and increased employee awareness of quality. The results reveal that the most common quality programs and tools used are: 5S, brainstorming, and Ishikawa diagram, while the least common are SERVQUAL and QFD.

O agostinismo político: contribuições e limites para as discussões políticas medievais

Pós-graduação em História - FCLAS

A normatividade dos princípios ante a transformação histórica dos sistemas jurídicos

Pós-graduação em Direito - FCHS

As organizações e a ISO 26000: revisão dos conceitos, dos motivadores e das barreiras de implementação

ISO 26000, published in 2010, focuses on corporate social responsibility. This study presents a systematic review conducted in ISI Web of Knowledge (Web of Science) and Elsevier's Scopus databases to answer the following question: What are the barriers and motivators affecting the adoption of ISO 26000 by organizations? The articles were selected using filters that applied two inclusion criteria. The data were summarized in a table covering the concepts of ISO 26000, the motivators, and the barriers. The motivators were globalization or competition in international markets, congruence with management systems, reputation or image, relationship with employees and improvement of the organizational environment, improvement in the relationship with external stakeholders, competitive advantage and strategy, guide to corporate social responsibility (CSR), and reduction of business risks. The barriers were lack of alignment between CSR and organizational strategy; business (national and international); unfamiliarity with ISO 26000; lack of communication, tools and sensitivity to the subject; short-term focus; knowledge management; fear of not fulfilling the standard; and financial resources. Finally, an agenda for future studies was prepared.

A evolução histórica do lançamento do dardo: base para o ensino do atletismo em aulas de Educação física

Ainda que pouco conhecida, a história do lançamento do dardo revela ser esta uma prova muito antiga, existente desde os Jogos Olímpicos da Grécia Antiga. Com base nisso, o objetivo desta pesquisa consistiu em resgatar a história dessa prova do atletismo, observando seu desenvolvimento ao longo dos anos, sobretudo no que diz respeito às alterações em suas regras, em seus implementos, em seus resultados, entre outras coisas. Com base em livros, documentos, registros de competições e fotografias de diferentes épocas, essa pesquisa histórico-bibliográfica procurou coletar o maior número de dados que nos permitem compreender e analisar o desenvolvimento da prova do lançamento do dardo até os dias atuais. Entre outras coisas, os resultados evidenciam o surgimento do lançamento do dardo a partir da necessidade de sobrevivência do homem, sendo utilizado, sobretudo, em suas atividades de caça e guerra, no período da Pré-História. No período da Antiguidade Clássica, há registros que comprovam a utilização do dardo por infantarias e cavalarias, na Grécia Antiga, no Império Romano e pelos Lusitanos. Entretanto, além das guerras, o dardo era também utilizado nesse período em atividades esportivas. O lançamento do dardo era praticado de duas diferentes formas nessa época: o lançamento do dardo em um alvo prédeterminado (traçava-se um círculo com a distância desejada e o atleta deveria fazer o dardo cair dentro dele). Esse tipo de lançamento ocorria a partir de um ponto fixo que, muito provavelmente, era a linha de partida do estádio (stádion), chamada de “balbís” - e o lançamento do dardo em um alvo predeterminado (que acontecia geralmente em cima do cavalo, e o cavaleiro deveria... (Resumo completo, clicar acesso eletrônico abaixo)

Estratégias tecnológicas em transformação: um estudo da indústria farmacêutica brasileira

The aim of this research is to analyze the extension of changes in technological strategies of a group of Brazilian pharmaceutical companies, which we believe were induced by transformations in the institutional environment during the 1990s. Major institutional changes, such as the enacting of laws that recognized drug patents rights and fostered generic drugs market, have strengthened the market insertion and competitive position of these companies, what would enable an increase in research and development efforts in Brazil. In addition to the literature on technology strategy and drug industry, this study was based on interviews with six Brazilian pharmaceutical companies, all of which were ranked among the top national companies in the industry and have been considered in previous studies particularly active in the process of changing technological strategies. This research confirmed a significant intensification of technology efforts carried out by Brazilian drug companies. Nevertheless, the R&D intensity is still far below the global pattern and innovative impacts are slight.

Oxygen tension affects histone remodeling of in vitro-produced embryos in a bovine model

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Programação por Metas, Análise por Envoltória de Dados e Teoria Fuzzy na avaliação da eficiência sob incerteza: aplicação em minifábricas do segmento de autopeças

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Do muscle strengthening exercises improve performance in the 6-minute walk test in postmenopausal women?

Background: Walking speed seems to be related to aerobic capacity, lower limb strength, and functional mobility, however it is not clear whether there is a direct relationship between improvement in muscle strength and gait performance in early postmenopausal women. Objective: To evaluate the effect of muscle strengthening exercises on the performance of the 6-minute walk test in women within 5 years of menopause. Methods: The women were randomized into control group (n=31), which performed no exercise, and exercise group (n=27), which performed muscle strengthening exercises. The exercises were performed twice a week for 3 months. The exercise protocol consisted of warm-up, stretching, and strengthening of the quadriceps, hamstring, calf, tibialis anterior, gluteus maximus, and abdominal muscles, followed by relaxation. Muscular strength training started with 60% of 1MR (2 series of 10-15 repetitions), reaching 85% until the end of the 3-month period (4 series of 6 repetitions each). Results: The between-group comparisons pre- and post-intervention did not show any difference in distance walked, heart rate or blood pressure (p>0.05), but showed differences in muscle strength post-intervention, with the exercise group showing greater strength (p<0.05). In the within-group comparison, there were differences in final heart rate and quadriceps and hamstring strength pre- and post-intervention in the exercise group (p<0.05). Conclusion: The results suggest that muscle strengthening of the lower limbs did not improve performance in the 6-minute walk test in this population of postmenopausal women. Trial registration ACTRN12609001053213.

Prey-capture efficiency between juveniles and adults, feeding habitat and abundance of Wattled Jacana foragers in northern Pantanal, Mato Grosso state, Brazil

The choice of foraging strategies implies an attempt at gaining energy by predators. Supposedly, the difference in employing the "sit and wait" or "active foraging" behavior lays in hunter skills, experience and the kind of prey consumed. With the hypothesis that "active foraging" demands no learning, in this study we compared the prey capture efficiency among Wattled Jacana juveniles and adults, and also present descriptive information about feeding habitat and the abundance variation of foragers throughout the day in the northern Pantanal. Prey capture efficiency did not differ significantly among juveniles and adults, corroborating our initial hypothesis that "active foraging" is an instinctive behavior and demands no experience to be effective. However, future work is necessary to compare the energetic quality of consumed items by juveniles and adults, searching for differences explained by adults' experience. Foraging individuals were found at an average distance of 14 m ranging from 2 to 42 m) from the margin of the sampled swamps, however 64% of the foragers were found closer to the margins. The average depth of foraging sites was 17 cm, ranging from 5 to 40 cm, although no preference for specific classes of depth was found (p > 0,05). Despite the accepted general pattern of birds being more active in the early morning, the largest number of individuals foraging was observed between 11:00 and 12:00 AM, but no significant difference was found in the abundance of foraging individuals among different periods of the day. Factors, which were not analyzed, such as food availability and presence of competitors and predators need to be studied to reveal the main factors of the spatial and temporal distribution of the Wattled Jacana.

Low pressure support changes the rapid shallow breathing index (RSBI) in critically ill patients on mechanical ventilation

Background: The rapid shallow breathing index (RSBI) is the most widely used index within intensive care units as a predictor of the outcome of weaning, but differences in measurement techniques have generated doubts about its predictive value. Objective: To investigate the influence of low levels of pressure support (PS) on the RSBI value of ill patients. Method: Prospective study including 30 patients on mechanical ventilation (MV) for 72 hours or more, ready for extubation. Prior to extubation, the RSBI was measured with the patient connected to the ventilator (Drager (TM) Evita XL) and receiving pressure support ventilation (PSV) and 5 cmH(2)O of positive end expiratory pressure or PEEP (RSBI_MIN) and then disconnected from the VM and connected to a Wright spirometer in which respiratory rate and exhaled tidal volume were recorded for 1 min (RSBI_ESP). Patients were divided into groups according to the outcome: successful extubation group (SG) and failed extubation group (FG). Results: Of the 30 patients, 11 (37%) failed the extubation process. In the within-group comparison (RSBI_MIN versus RSBI_ESP), the values for RSBI_MIN were lower in both groups: SG (34.79 +/- 4.67 and 60.95 +/- 24.64) and FG (38.64 +/- 12.31 and 80.09 +/- 20.71; p<0.05). In the between-group comparison, there was no difference in RSBI_MIN (34.79 +/- 14.67 and 38.64 +/- 12.31), however RSBI_ESP was higher in patients with extubation failure: SG (60.95 +/- 24.64) and FG (80.09 +/- 20.71; p<0.05). Conclusion: In critically ill patients on MV for more than 72h, low levels of PS overestimate the RSBI, and the index needs to be measured with the patient breathing spontaneously without the aid of pressure support.

Proposal of non-invasive experimental model to induce scoliosis in rats

Background: In the literature, there are several experimental models that induce scoliosis in rats; however, they make use of drugs or invasive interventions to generate a scoliotic curve. Objectives: To design and apply a non-invasive immobilization model to induce scoliosis in rats. Methods: Four-week old male Wistar rats (85 +/- 3.3 g) were divided into two groups: control (CG) and scoliosis (SG). The animals in the SG were immobilized by two vests (scapular and pelvic) made from polyvinyl chloride (PVC) and externally attached to each other by a retainer that regulated the scoliosis angle for twelve weeks with left convexity. After immobilization, the abdominal, intercostal, paravertebral, and pectoral muscles were collected for chemical and metabolic analyses. Radiographic reports were performed every 30 days over a 16-week period. Results: The model was effective in the induction of scoliosis, even 30 days after immobilization, with a stable angle of 28 +/- 5 degrees. The chemical and metabolic analyses showed a decrease (p<0.05) in the glycogenic reserves and in the relationship between DNA and total protein reserves of all the muscles analyzed in the scoliosis group, being lower (p<0.05) in the convex side. The values for the Homeostatic Model Assessment of Insulin Resistance indicated a resistance condition to insulin (p<0.05) in the scoliosis group (0.66 +/- 0.03), when compared to the control group (0.81 +/- 0.02). Conclusions: The scoliosis curvature remained stable 30 days after immobilization. The chemical and metabolic analyses suggest changes in muscular homeostasis during the induced scoliosis process.

The Role of Target Therapies in Schistosomiasis-Associated Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension

Background: Schistosomiasis-associated pulmonary arterial hypertension (Sch-PAH) may be one of the most prevalent forms of pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) worldwide. However, the clinical and hemodynamical response to specific PAH therapy in Sch-PAH is not known. Methods: We retrospectively analyzed the charts of all patients with Sch-PAH who initiated specific PAH treatment between June 2003 and June 2010 in a single PAH reference center in Sao Paulo, Brazil. Clinical and hemodynamical data were retrospectively collected and evaluated in two periods: baseline and posttreatment. Results: The study population consisted of 12 patients with Sch-PAH. They were treated with phosphodiseterase-5 inhibitors (seven patients), endothelin receptor antagonists (four patients), or combination therapy (one patient). Mean treatment period was 34.9 +/- 15.5 months. Patients with Sch-PAH presented significant improvements in terms of functional class, 6-min walk test distance (439 +/- 85 to 492 +/- 79 m, P = .032), cardiac index (2.66 +/- 0.59 to 3.08 +/- 0.68 L/min/m(2), P = .028), and indexed pulmonary vascular resistance (20.7 +/- 11.6 to 15.9 +/- 9 W/m(2), P = .038) with the introduction of specific PAH treatment. Conclusions: We conclude that specific PAH therapy may be of benefit to patients with Sch-PAH, considering clinical, functional, and hemodynamic parameters. CHEST 2012; 141(4):923-928