Algorithmic business and EU law on fair trading

This thesis studies how commercial practice is developing with artificial intelligence (AI) technologies and discusses some normative concepts in EU consumer law. The author analyses the phenomenon of 'algorithmic business', which defines the increasing use of data-driven AI in marketing organisations for the optimisation of a range of consumer-related tasks. The phenomenon is orienting business-consumer relations towards some general trends that influence power and behaviors of consumers. These developments are not taking place in a legal vacuum, but against the background of a normative system aimed at maintaining fairness and balance in market transactions. The author assesses current developments in commercial practices in the context of EU consumer law, which is specifically aimed at regulating commercial practices. The analysis is critical by design and without neglecting concrete practices tries to look at the big picture. The thesis consists of nine chapters divided in three thematic parts. The first part discusses the deployment of AI in marketing organisations, a brief history, the technical foundations, and their modes of integration in business organisations. In the second part, a selected number of socio-technical developments in commercial practice are analysed. The following are addressed: the monitoring and analysis of consumers��� behaviour based on data; the personalisation of commercial offers and customer experience; the use of information on consumers��� psychology and emotions, the mediation through marketing conversational applications. The third part assesses these developments in the context of EU consumer law and of the broader policy debate concerning consumer protection in the algorithmic society. In particular, two normative concepts underlying the EU fairness standard are analysed: manipulation, as a substantive regulatory standard that limits commercial behaviours in order to protect consumers��� informed and free choices and vulnerability, as a concept of social policy that portrays people who are more exposed to marketing practices.

Transmission Of Intra-cellular Genetic Information: A System Proposal.

One of the great challenges of the scientific community on theories of genetic information, genetic communication and genetic coding is to determine a mathematical structure related to DNA sequences. In this paper we propose a model of an intra-cellular transmission system of genetic information similar to a model of a power and bandwidth efficient digital communication system in order to identify a mathematical structure in DNA sequences where such sequences are biologically relevant. The model of a transmission system of genetic information is concerned with the identification, reproduction and mathematical classification of the nucleotide sequence of single stranded DNA by the genetic encoder. Hence, a genetic encoder is devised where labelings and cyclic codes are established. The establishment of the algebraic structure of the corresponding codes alphabets, mappings, labelings, primitive polynomials (p(x)) and code generator polynomials (g(x)) are quite important in characterizing error-correcting codes subclasses of G-linear codes. These latter codes are useful for the identification, reproduction and mathematical classification of DNA sequences. The characterization of this model may contribute to the development of a methodology that can be applied in mutational analysis and polymorphisms, production of new drugs and genetic improvement, among other things, resulting in the reduction of time and laboratory costs.

[principles Of Universality, Comprehensiveness And Equity In A Hearing Health Care Service].

This article analyzed whether the practices of hearing health care were consistent with the principles of universality, comprehensiveness and equity from the standpoint of professionals. It involved qualitative research conducted at a Medium Complexity Hearing Health Care Center. A social worker, three speech therapists, a physician and a psychologist constituted the study subjects. Interviews were conducted as well as observation registered in a field diary. The thematic analysis technique was used in the analysis of the material. The analysis of interviews resulted in the construction of the following themes: Universality and access to hearing health, Comprehensive Hearing Health Care and Hearing Health and Equity. The study identified issues that interfere with the quality of service and run counter to the principles of Brazilian Unified Health System. The conclusion reached was that a relatively simple investment in training and professional qualification can bring about significant changes in order to promote a more universal, comprehensive and equitable health service.

[evaluation Of Data On Live Birth Certificates From The Information System On Live Births (sinasc) In Campinas, S��o Paulo, 2009].

To assess the completeness and reliability of the Information System on Live Births (Sinasc) data. A cross-sectional analysis of the reliability and completeness of Sinasc's data was performed using a sample of Live Birth Certificate (LBC) from 2009, related to births from Campinas, Southeast Brazil. For data analysis, hospitals were grouped according to category of service (Unified National Health System, private or both), 600 LBCs were randomly selected and the data were collected in LBC-copies through mothers and newborns' hospital records and by telephone interviews. The completeness of LBCs was evaluated, calculating the percentage of blank fields, and the LBCs agreement comparing the originals with the copies was evaluated by Kappa and intraclass correlation coefficients. The percentage of completeness of LBCs ranged from 99.8%-100%. For the most items, the agreement was excellent. However, the agreement was acceptable for marital status, maternal education and newborn infants' race/color, low for prenatal visits and presence of birth defects, and very low for the number of deceased children. The results showed that the municipality Sinasc is reliable for most of the studied variables. Investments in training of the professionals are suggested in an attempt to improve system capacity to support planning and implementation of health activities for the benefit of maternal and child population.

Geographical Distribution Of The Association Between El Ni��o South Oscillation And Dengue Fever In The Americas: A Continental Analysis Using Geographical Information System-based Techniques.

El Ni��o South Oscillation (ENSO) is one climatic phenomenon related to the inter-annual variability of global meteorological patterns influencing sea surface temperature and rainfall variability. It influences human health indirectly through extreme temperature and moisture conditions that may accelerate the spread of some vector-borne viral diseases, like dengue fever (DF). This work examines the spatial distribution of association between ENSO and DF in the countries of the Americas during 1995-2004, which includes the 1997-1998 El Ni��o, one of the most important climatic events of 20(th) century. Data regarding the South Oscillation index (SOI), indicating El Ni��o-La Ni��a activity, were obtained from Australian Bureau of Meteorology. The annual DF incidence (AIy) by country was computed using Pan-American Health Association data. SOI and AIy values were standardised as deviations from the mean and plotted in bars-line graphics. The regression coefficient values between SOI and AIy (rSOI,AI) were calculated and spatially interpolated by an inverse distance weighted algorithm. The results indicate that among the five years registering high number of cases (1998, 2002, 2001, 2003 and 1997), four had El Ni��o activity. In the southern hemisphere, the annual spatial weighted mean centre of epidemics moved southward, from 6�� 31' S in 1995 to 21�� 12' S in 1999 and the rSOI,AI values were negative in Cuba, Belize, Guyana and Costa Rica, indicating a synchrony between higher DF incidence rates and a higher El Ni��o activity. The rSOI,AI map allows visualisation of a graded surface with higher values of ENSO-DF associations for Mexico, Central America, northern Caribbean islands and the extreme north-northwest of South America.

[access To Information About How To Prevent Oral Problems Among School Children In The Public School Network].

The scope of this study is to identify the prevalence of access to information about how to prevent oral problems among schoolchildren in the public school network, as well as the factors associated with such access. This is a cross-sectional and analytical study conducted among 12-year-old schoolchildren in a Brazilian municipality with a large population. The examinations were performed by 24 trained dentists and calibrated with the aid of 24 recorders. Data collection occurred in 36 public schools selected from the 89 public schools of the city. Descriptive, univariate and multiple analyses were conducted. Of the 2510 schoolchildren included in the study, 2211 reported having received information about how to prevent oral problems. Access to such information was greater among those who used private dental services; and lower among those who used the service for treatment, who evaluated the service as regular or bad/awful. The latter use toothbrush only or toothbrush and tongue scrubbing as a means of oral hygiene and who reported not being satisfied with the appearance of their teeth. The conclusion drawn is that the majority of schoolchildren had access to information about how to prevent oral problems, though access was associated with the characteristics of health services, health behavior and outcomes.

Pedagogia do treinamento : metodo, procedimentos pedagogicos e as multiplas competencias do tecnico nos jogos desportivos coletivos

Universidade Estadual de Campinas. Faculdade de Educa����o F��sica

Esporte educacional e deficiencia : encontros esportivos no contexto escolar

Universidade Estadual de Campinas . Faculdade de Educa����o F��sica

Futebol para cegos (futebol de cinco) no Brasil : leitura do jogo e estrategias tatico-tecnicas

Universidade Estadual de Campinas . Faculdade de Educa����o F��sica

Intelig��ncia artificial aplicada �� Zootecnia

Os sistemas biol��gicos s��o surpreendentemente flex��veis pra processar informa����o proveniente do mundo real. Alguns organismos biol��gicos possuem uma unidade central de processamento denominada de c��rebro. O c��rebro humano consiste de 10(11) neur��nios e realiza processamento inteligente de forma exata e subjetiva. A Intelig��ncia Artificial (IA) tenta trazer para o mundo da computa����o digital a heur��stica dos sistemas biol��gicos de v��rias maneiras, mas, ainda resta muito para que isso seja concretizado. No entanto, algumas t��cnicas como Redes neurais artificiais e l��gica fuzzy tem mostrado efetivas para resolver problemas complexos usando a heur��stica dos sistemas biol��gicos. Recentemente o numero de aplica����o dos m��todos da IA em sistemas zoot��cnicos tem aumentado significativamente. O objetivo deste artigo �� explicar os princ��pios b��sicos da resolu����o de problemas usando heur��stica e demonstrar como a IA pode ser aplicada para construir um sistema especialista para resolver problemas na ��rea de zootecnia.

O ��bito e sua investiga����o: reflex��es sobre alguns aspectos relevantes

O artigo aborda quest��es relativas ao ��bito e sua investiga����o como elementos importantes para a Epidemiologia e a Sa��de P��blica. Ressalta aspectos ligados �� melhoria da sua qualidade e da vigil��ncia, bem como da pesquisa cient��fica/epidemiol��gica nessa ��rea, vistos sob a ��ptica da legisla����o e das normas ��ticas existentes no Brasil. Discute o problema relativo, a saber, "a quem pertence a informa����o em sa��de e quais os limites de sua utiliza����o", tratando, inclusive, da possibilidade do uso de bancos de dados identificados. Conclui sugerindo meios h��beis, como "Termo de Responsabilidade e Confidencialidade" por parte do pesquisador, para que a pesquisa cient��fica/epidemiol��gica possa ter continuidade no pa��s, com agilidade e oportunidade.

Gerenciamento participativo em sa��de do trabalhador: uma experi��ncia na atividade de controle de vetores

Este artigo apresenta a experi��ncia de implanta����o de um sistema de gest��o em Sa��de do Trabalhador implantado na Superintendencia de Controle de Endemias (SUCEN), no per��odo de 1998 a 2002, que operava na atividade de controle qu��mico de vetores no Estado de S��o Paulo. OBJETIVO: Descrever o sistema de gest��o participativa, as a����es desenvolvidas e os principais resultados alcan��ados. M��TODO: Relato da experi��ncia vivenciada pela equipe usando abordagem qualitativa, an��lise de documentos e apresenta����o de dados quantitativos. RESULTADOS: Foram eleitas 11 Comiss��es de Sa��de e Trabalho (COMSAT's) que em conjunto com a equipe t��cnica iniciaram a identifica����o dos riscos e de propostas para preven����o e controle dos riscos no trabalho. O mapeamento de riscos resultou em 650 recomenda����es, 45,7% das quais foram executadas. Foram identificadas como doen��as relacionadas ao trabalho: rea����es al��rgicas aos pesticidas, les��es por esfor��os repetitivos, dist��rbios auditivos e patologias de coluna vertebral. Participaram dos cursos b��sicos de sa��de do trabalhador 1.003 servidores (76,3% do total de servidores), sendo que 90,8% dos participantes os consideraram ��timos ou bons. CONCLUS��ES: O sistema de gerenciamento participativo coloca em pr��tica os princ��pios de gest��o democr��tica do Sistema ��nico de Sa��de (SUS); incorpora, por meio do mapeamento de riscos, o saber do trabalhador; inclui os trabalhadores como sujeitos do processo de negocia����o e mudan��as; pratica o direito �� informa����o. As COMSAT's revelaram-se espa��os adequados para a negocia����o das melhorias nas condi����es de trabalho. A aprova����o do sistema de gest��o culminou na valida����o legal por meio de um acordo tripartite assinado em mar��o de 2002.

Bioeticistas brasileiros e os princ��pios da universalidade e da integralidade no SUS

OBJETIVO: Compreender os sentidos que bioeticistas brasileiros atribuem aos princ��pios da universalidade e da integralidade no sistema p��blico de sa��de brasileiro. PROCEDIMENTOS METODOL��GICOS: Estudo explorat��rio qualitativo, realizado com 20 professores universit��rios de bio��tica atuantes no campo das ci��ncias da sa��de, com fun����es de diretores e ex-diretores da Sociedade Brasileira de Bio��tica e de diretorias regionais, no per��odo de julho de 2007 a julho de 2008. Foram realizadas entrevistas semi-estruturadas, com perguntas abertas, sendo realizada an��lise de conte��do. AN��LISE DE RESULTADOS: Quanto ao princ��pio da universalidade de acesso dos cidad��os brasileiros a um sistema p��blico, as manifesta����es dos entrevistados se posicionaram majoritariamente em prol de sua manuten����o. Todavia, quanto ao princ��pio da integralidade, as diverg��ncias foram manifestas, ensejando a maioria em restringi-lo. CONCLUS��ES: Os bioeticistas relatam pluralismo de valores morais e dificuldades em decidir moralmente sobre o que seria um sistema de sa��de justo

Geographic Information Systems (GIS) in Assessing Dental Health

The present study investigated the distribution profile of dental caries and its association with areas of social deprivation at the individual and contextual level. The cluster sample consisted of 1,002 12-year-old schoolchildren from Piracicaba, SP, Brazil. The DMFT Index was used for dental caries and the Care Index was used to determine access to dental services. On the individual level, variables were associated with a better oral status. On the contextual level, areas were not associated with oral status. However, maps enabled determining that the central districts have better social and oral conditions than the deprived outlying districts.