Modified value stream mapping of airport check-in procedures

In June 2014 Brazil hosted the FIFA World Cup and in August 2016 Rio de Janeiro hosts the Summer Olympics. These two seminal sporting events will draw tens of thousands of air travelers through Brazil’s airports, airports that are currently in the midst of a national modernization program to address years of infrastructure neglect and insufficient capacity. Raising Brazil’s major airports up to the standards air travelers experience at major airports elsewhere in the world is more than just a case of building or remodeling facilities, processes must also be examined and reworked to enhance traveler experience and satisfaction. This research paper examines the key interface between airports and airline passengers—airport check-in procedures—according to how much value and waste there is associated with them. In particular, the paper makes use of a value stream mapping construct for services proposed by Martins, Cantanhede, and Jardim (2010). The uniqueness of this construct is that it attributes each activity with a certain percentage and magnitude of value or waste which can then be ordered and prioritized for improvement. Working against a fairly commonly expressed notion in Brazil that Brazil’s airports are inferior to the airports of economically advanced countries, the paper examines Rio’s two major airports, Galeão International and Santos Dumont in comparison to Washington D.C.’s Washington National and Dulles International airports. The paper seeks to accomplish three goals: - Determine whether there are differences in airport passenger check-in procedures between U.S. and Brazilian airports in terms of passenger value - Present options for Brazilian government or private sector authorities to consider adopting or implementing at Brazilian airports to maximize passenger value - Validate the Martins et al. construct for use in evaluating the airport check-in procedures Observations and analysis proved surprising in that all airports and service providers follow essentially the same check-in processes but execute them differently yet still result in similar overall performance in terms of value and waste. Although only a few activities are categorized as completely wasteful (and therefore removed in the revised value stream map of check-in activities), the weighting and categorization of individual activities according to their value (or waste) presents decision-makers a means to prioritize possible corrective actions. Various overall recommendations are presented based on this analysis. Most importantly, this paper demonstrates the viability of using the construct developed by Martins et al to examine airport operations, as well as its applicability to the study of other service industry processes.

Habitat use, reproductive traits and social interactions in a stream-dweller treefrog endemic to the Brazilian Cerrado

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Environmental adaptation of the source of the subbasin of Rico Stream, Monte Alto - SP, Brazil

Este trabalho teve como principal objetivo definir padrões fotográficos que representem o uso e a ocupação do solo da cabeceira de drenagem do Córrego Rico, localizada no Município de Monte Alto, Estado de São Paulo, para fins de adequação ambiental no que tange à legislação florestal brasileira. O mapeamento foi realizado utilizando técnicas de sensoriamento remoto e interpretação visual da imagem World View, seguida da digitalização da rede de drenagem e vegetações (naturais e agrícolas) no AutoCad, com auxílio de documentos e trabalho de campo. A área de estudo apresenta uma superfície de 2.141,53 ha, e os resultados permitiram constatar que a principal cultura é a cana-de-açúcar, com 546,34 ha, seguida de pastagens, com 251,22 ha, culturas perenes, com 191,71 ha, Eucalipto, com 57,31 ha, e a cebola, com 49,52 ha da área total, confirmando o avanço dos canaviais na região. A área possui 375,04 ha de áreas de preservação permanente (APPs), e desta superfície verificou-se que apenas 72,17 ha (19,24%) encontram-se compostos por vegetação arbórea ou mata, e destas 302,87 ha precisam ser enriquecidos e reflorestados com vegetação nativa da região, de acordo com legislação vigente. Os dados de área possibilitam futuras propostas de modelos de adequação ambiental para a microbacia, de acordo com a legislação ambiental vigente.

Levantamento florístico das comunidades de macroalgas da bacia do Rio das Pedras, região centro-sul do estado do Paraná, sul do Brasil

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Distribuição ecológica das comunidades de macroalgas da bacia de drenagem do Rio das Pedras, região Centro-Sul do Estado do Paraná, Sul do Brasil

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Distribuição ambiental e temporal das comunidades de macroalgas de riachos da Serra da Prata, Estado do Paraná, Sul do Brasil

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

Ephemeroptera, Plecoptera and Trichoptera assemblages in litter in a mountain stream of the Atlantic Rainforest from Southeastern Brazil

A fauna de Ephemeroptera, Plecoptera e Trichoptera associadas ao folhiço em um riacho do sudeste do Brasil foi estudada com o objetivo de responder às seguintes questões: 1) A riqueza e a composição faunística de EPT difere entre os dois mesohabitats (corredeira-remanso) mesmo quando associadas ao mesmo substrato, folhiço? 2) A similaridade da fauna de EPT entre os dois mesohabitas muda temporalmente? 3) A estrutura funcional de EPT difere entre os dois mesohabitats (corredeira-remanso)? Para responder essas questões, coletas mensais, de novembro de 1999 a junho de 2000, foram feitas no Ribeirão Bocaina com rede D (10 acúmulos de folhas em remanso e 10 em corredeira). A fauna de EPT do Ribeirão Bocaina foi mais diversificada e mais abundante no folhiço em corredeira do que no folhiço em remanso, no entanto, quando a riqueza foi padronizada para o mesmo número de indivíduos essa se tornou similar para as duas condições. A fauna de EPT foi bastante diferente entre os dois mesohabitats, tanto em termos da composição faunística quanto em termos funcionais. Isso provavelmente ocorreu devido às diferenças de velocidade da água, no tempo de residência do folhiço e na taxa de oxigênio da água entre os dois mesohabitats.

Variação sazonal da abundância de Ecballocystis pulvinata Bohlin em um riacho da região centro-sul do estado do Paraná

Seasonal variation of abundance of Ecballocystis pulvinata Bohlin in a stream of central-southern region of Parana State. The temporal dynamics of E. pulvinata and its relation to abiotic variables were evaluated monthly during January to December 2007 in a stream located in the central-southern part of Parana State (25 degrees 11'16 '' S - 51 degrees 021'25 '' W). The abundance of the population in terms of percentage cover was obtained by means of the quadrat technique and the following stream water variables were measured: current velocity, irradiance, depth, substrate type, temperature, oxygen saturation, conductivity, pH and turbidity. The abundance of E. pulvinata was considered high (X = 26.7%), with more development (22-46%) during autumn/winter. The low values (0-0.08) of niche width and the few associations with environmental variables shows that the population evaluated is a generalist with regards to the environment in which it occurs. Factors most strictly related were the water flow and the particle size of the substrate, which positively correlated to the seasonal pattern of the population investigated.

Prevalence and virulence properties of Vibrio cholerae non-O1, Aeromonas spp. and Plesiomonas shigelloides isolated from Cambe Stream (State of Parana, Brazil)

The incidence of Vibrio cholerae, Aeromonas spp, and Plesiomonas shigelloides was determined in Rater samples from Cambe Stream. The samples were collected from seven different sites. The serogroups, virulence markers and drug resistance profiles were also evaluated. Twelve. Aer. hydrophila, 12 Aer. caviae, eight Aer. sobria, seven Ple. shigelloides and two V. cholerae non-O1 were isolated. They belonged to different serogroups and all produced haemolysis in different assays. Five of the Aeromonas strains and one of V, cholerae non-O1 were positive for enterotoxin activity. Haemagglutination and its inhibition, using erythrocytes of different origins, was variable for Aeromonas spp and V. cholerae, while none of the Plt. shigelloides haemagglutinated in association with any type of erythrocyte. All isolates exhibited multiple drug resistance. These results indicate that the occurrence of V. cholerae non-O1, Aeromonas spp, and Ple. shigelloides, in water used for vegetable irrigation, human recreation and animal consumption, among others, represents a potential risk for humans.

Mast cell and eosinophils in the wall of the gut and eosinophils in the blood stream during Toxocara vitulorum infection of the water buffalo calves (Bubalus bubalis)

Toxocara vitulorum is a pathogenic nematode from the small intestine of very young buffalo calves. To understand the development of the inflammatory responses in the wall of the gut, samples of tissues were removed from the duodenum, jejunum and ileum of buffalo calves naturally infected with T. vitulorum during the beginning of the infection, at the peak of egg output, as well as during the periods of rejection of the worms and post-rejection. Two additional control groups of uninfected calves (by anti-helminthic therapy of their mothers and after the birth) were also necropsied on days 30 and 50 after birth. Blood samples were fortnightly collected from birth to 174 days post-birth. Blood smears were prepared and stained with Giemsa for eosinophils. The parasitological status of buffalo calves was evaluated through weekly fecal egg counts (EPG) from 1 to 106 days after birth, which revealed that T. vitulorum egg shedding started on day 11, reached the peak of the infection on day 49 and finally expelled the parasites between days 50 and 85 after birth. In the infected buffalo calves, the mast cell population increased significantly, by two-fold in the mucosa (villus-crypt unit (VCU)) of the duodenum and four-fold in the proximal jejunum; but these increases were statistically significant only at the peak of the infection. Although mast cell numbers increased in the mucosa of the ileum as well as in both the submucosal and muscle tissues of the duodenum, proximal jejunum and ileum, the data was not significantly different from the controls. Eosinophil numbers increased in the mucosa of the duodenum (two-five times higher than the control) and proximal jejunum (three-five-fold) during the period of the infection (beginning, peak and rejection). The relative numbers of eosinophils increased in the blood stream from the second to the seventh week. In conclusion, T. vitulorum infection elicited mastocytosis and tissue eosinophilia in the duodenum and proximal jejunum, as well as eosinophilia in the blood stream, during the beginning, at the peak and during the rejection of the worm. After the rejection of the worms, the numbers of these cells returned to normal levels suggesting that these cells may have a role in the process of rejection of T. vitulorum by the host. (C) 2003 Elsevier B.V. B.V. All rights reserved.