Research on using the decision tree method in order to select the best alternative for the pharmacies supply

Introduction / Aims: Adopting the important decisions represents a specific task of the manager. An efficient manager takes these decisions during a sistematic process with well-defined elements, each with a precise order. In the pharmaceutical practice and business, in the supply process of the pharmacies, there are situations when the medicine distributors offer a certain discount, but require payment in a shorter period of time. In these cases, the analysis of the offer can be made with the help of the decision tree method, which permits identifying the decision offering the best possible result in a given situation. The aims of the research have been the analysis of the product offers of many different suppliers and the establishing of the most advantageous ways of pharmacy supplying. Material / Methods: There have been studied the general product offers of the following medical stores: A&G Med, Farmanord, Farmexim, Mediplus, Montero and Relad. In the case of medicine offers including a discount, the decision tree method has been applied in order to select the most advantageous offers. The Decision Tree is a management method used in taking the right decisions and it is generally used when one needs to evaluate the decisions that involve a series of stages. The tree diagram is used in order to look for the most efficient means to attain a specific goal. The decision trees are the most probabilistic methods, useful when adopting risk taking decisions. Results: The results of the analysis on the tree diagrams have indicated the fact that purchasing medicines with discount (1%, 10%, 15%) and payment in a shorter time interval (120 days) is more profitable than purchasing without a discount and payment in a longer time interval (160 days). Discussion / Conclusion: Depending on the results of the tree diagram analysis, the pharmacies would purchase from the selected suppliers. The research has shown that the decision tree method represents a valuable work instrument in choosing the best ways for supplying pharmacies and it is very useful to the specialists from the pharmaceutical field, pharmaceutical management, to medicine suppliers, pharmacy practitioners from the community pharmacies and especially to pharmacy managers, chief – pharmacists.

Será que as empresas portuguesas seguem a pecking order na escolha das alternativas de financiamento?

Mestrado em Contabilidade e Análise Financeira

Exposure to dust in poultry: the importance of task differences for detailed exposure assessment

Dust is a complex mixture of particles of organic and inorganic origin and different gases absorbed in aerosol droplets. In a poultry unit include dried faecal matter and urine, skin flakes, ammonia, carbon dioxide, pollens, feed and litter particles, feathers, grain mites, fungi spores, bacteria, viruses and their constituents. Dust particles vary in size and differentiation between particle size fractions is important in health studies in order to quantify penetration within the respiratory system. A descriptive study was developed in order to assess exposure to particles in a poultry unit during different operations, namely routine examination and floor turn over. Direct-reading equipment was used (Lighthouse, model 3016 IAQ). Particle measurement was performed in 5 different sizes (PM0.5; PM1.0; PM2.5; PM5.0; PM10). The chemical composition of poultry litter was also determined by neutron activation analysis. Normally, the litter of poultry pavilions is turned over weekly and it was during this operation that the higher exposure of particles was observed. In all the tasks considered PM5.0 and PM10.0 were the sizes with higher concentrations values. PM10 is what turns out to have higher values and PM0.5 the lowest values. The chemical element with the highest concentration was Mg (5.7E6 mg.kg-1), followed by K (1.5E4 mg.kg-1), Ca (4.8E3 mg.kg-1), Na (1.7E3 mg.kg-1), Fe (2.1E2 mg.kg-1) and Zn (4.2E1 mg.kg-1). This high presence of particles in the respirable range (<5–7μm) means that poultry dust particles can penetrate into the gas exchange region of the lung. Larger particles (PM10) present a range of concentrations from 5.3E5 and 3.0E6 mg/m3.

In vivo and in vitro effects of RAD001 on bladder cancer

Objective: To evaluate the influence of Everolimus (RAD001) on chemically induced urothelial lesions in mice and its influence on in vitro human bladder cancer cell lines. Methods: ICR male mice were given N-butyl-N-(4-hydroxybutyl) nitrosamine in drinking water for a period of 12 weeks. Subsequently, RAD001 was administered via oral gavage, for 6 weeks. At the end of the experiment, all the animals were sacrificed and tumor development was determined by means of histopathologic evaluation; mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) expressivity was evaluated by immunohistochemistry. Three human bladder cancer cell lines (T24, HT1376, and 5637) were treated using a range of RAD001 concentrations. MTT assay, terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase dUTP nick end labeling (TUNEL), and flow cytometry were used to assess cell proliferation, apoptosis index, and cell cycle analysis, respectively. Immunoblotting analysis of 3 cell line extracts using mTOR and Akt antibodies was performed in order to study the expression of Akt and mTOR proteins and their phosphorylated forms. Results: The incidence of urothelial lesions in animals treated with RAD001 was similar to those animals not treated. RAD001 did not block T24 and HT1376 cell proliferation or induce apoptosis. A reduction in cell proliferation rate and therefore G0/G1 phase arrest, as well as a statistically significant induction of apoptosis (P 0.001), was only observed in the 5637 cell line. Conclusion: RAD001 seems not to have a significant effect on chemically induced murine bladder tumors. The effect of RAD001 on tumor proliferation and apoptosis was achieved only in superficial derived bladder cancer cell line, no effect was observed in invasive cell lines.

Antifungal activity of Imidazolidin-4-ones of the antimalarial primaquine

The 5-Isopropyl-3-[4-(6-methoxy-quinolin-8-ylamino)-pentyl]-2,2-dimethyl-imidazolidin-4-one (ValPQacet) was sinthesized through acylation of the anti-malarial primaquine with α-valine and subsequent reaction of the resulting -aminoamide with propanone (Sheme 1).Imidazolidin-4-ones of the anti malarial primaquine are being sinthesized to develop new variants in order to improve more effective treatments against malaria . Recently it has been observed that primaquine derivates could have effect in a new kind of yeast . To study the fungicidal activity against Candida albicans, Candida tropicalis, Issatchenkia orientalis, Sacharomyces cerevisae, the ValPQacet was put in the form of the hydrochloride salt. The minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) could be determined for all yeast in the concentration range assayed. Also was determined MIC’s of primaquine hydrochloride salt for all yeast, and this shows that the parent drug is less active than our compound. Further studies are being performed to determine viability and cellular injury with this drugs.

Património geológico da ilha do Porto Santo e ilhéus adjacentes (Madeira): inventariação, avaliação e valorização como contributo para a geoconservação

Dissertação de Mestrado, Vulcanologia e Riscos Geológicos, 10 de Janeiro de 2014, Universidade dos Açores.

Processing XML with Java – a performance benchmark

Over time, XML markup language has acquired a considerable importance in applications development, standards definition and in the representation of large volumes of data, such as databases. Today, processing XML documents in a short period of time is a critical activity in a large range of applications, which imposes choosing the most appropriate mechanism to parse XML documents quickly and efficiently. When using a programming language for XML processing, such as Java, it becomes necessary to use effective mechanisms, e.g. APIs, which allow reading and processing of large documents in appropriated manners. This paper presents a performance study of the main existing Java APIs that deal with XML documents, in order to identify the most suitable one for processing large XML files

Performance analysis of Java APIS for XML processing

Over time, XML markup language has acquired a considerable importance in applications development, standards definition and in the representation of large volumes of data, such as databases. Today, processing XML documents in a short period of time is a critical activity in a large range of applications, which imposes choosing the most appropriate mechanism to parse XML documents quickly and efficiently. When using a programming language for XML processing, such as Java, it becomes necessary to use effective mechanisms, e.g. APIs, which allow reading and processing of large documents in appropriated manners. This paper presents a performance study of the main existing Java APIs that deal with XML documents, in order to identify the most suitable one for processing large XML files.

Estratégias de oferta em leilões simétricos no âmbito dos mercados liberalizados de electricidade

Mestrado em Engenharia Electrotécnica – Sistemas Eléctricos de Energia

Efeito imediato da técnica músculo energia do esternocleidomastóideo com ponto gatilho latente na sensibilidade dolorosa à pressão e nas amplitudes cervicais

Introdução: Os pontos gatilho (PG) do esternocleidomastóideo (ECM) podem ser a causa de dor na face e no crânio. A técnica músculo-energia (TME) pode ser utilizada na presença de PG. Objectivo: Verificar qual o efeito imediato da TME, aplicada no ECM, na sensibilidade dolorosa à pressão (SDP) do PG do ECM e nas amplitudes cervicais em comparação com uma técnica placebo. Metodologia: Uma amostra voluntária de 52 indivíduos foi dividida aleatoriamente por dois grupos. Inicialmente foi medida a SDP e as amplitudes dos movimentos activos da coluna cervical. Após a aplicação da TME, com 20% da força máxima, e da técnica placebo, nos respectivos grupos, a SDP e as amplitudes cervicais foram reavaliadas. Resultados: Não existiram diferenças estatísticas significativas para afirmar que os dados recolhidos antes e depois da aplicação da TME eram significativamente diferentes. Conclusão: Os efeitos imediatos da TME, neste estudo, não foram significativos. No entanto, a bibliografia aponta noutro sentido, tornando-se importante perceber de que forma podemos melhorar a aplicação da TME, de forma a optimizar os seus efeitos.

O efeito da inibição dos músculos Sub-occipitais na dor cervical e de cabeça e nas amplitudes articulares

Caso clínico: Este estudo observacional descritivo - tipo estudo de caso, tem como amostra uma senhora de 36 anos com dor cervical superior esquerda e de cabeça. Após uma avaliação inicial, a paciente foi submetida a três aplicações da técnica de inibição dos músculos sub-occipitais durante uma semana em dias alternados, com o objetivo de quantificar o seu efeito nas amplitudes articulares cervicais, na dor e na funcionalidade. Para o efeito foram utilizados como instrumentos o Cervical Range of Motion Instrument, a Escala Visual Analógica e o Índice de Incapacidade relacionada com a Cervical. A paciente foi reavaliada em três momentos distintos (1’ após a primeira aplicação da técnica e oito e quinze dias depois). O resultado imediato da técnica foi de um ligeiro aumento nalgumas amplitudes articulares mas noutras ocorreu uma diminuição dos seus valores. Após 8 e 15 dias houve um aumento de todas as amplitudes articulares cervicais à exceção da inclinação e da rotação esquerda que diminuíram ligeiramente em relação à avaliação inicial e da extensão que manteve a mesma amplitude articular. Quanto à sintomatologia dolorosa foi eliminada por completo e a pontuação da funcionalidade passou de 18 para zero logo após a primeira intervenção. A aplicação desta técnica, nesta paciente, aumentou as amplitudes articulares cervicais, eliminou a dor cervical e de cabeça e melhorou a funcionalidade.

Investigação dos efeitos das atividades de observação de cetáceos e natação com golfinhos: implicações para a conservação da natureza

Jornadas "Ciência nos Açores- que futuro?", Biblioteca Pública e Arquivo Regional de Ponta Delgada, Largo do Colégio, Ponta Delgada, 7-8 de junho de 2013.

Basic dyestuffs removal from textile effluents using feathers: equilibrium, kinetic and column studies

This research work has been focused in the study of gallinaceous feathers, a waste that may be valorised as sorbent, to remove the Dark Blue Astrazon 2RN (DBA) from Dystar. This study was focused on the following aspects: optimization of experimental conditions through factorial design methodology, kinetic studies into a continuous stirred tank adsorber (at pH 7 and 20ºC), equilibrium isotherms (at pH 5, 7 and 9 at 20 and 45ºC) and column studies (at 20ºC, at pH 5, 7 and 9). In order to evaluate the influence of the presence of other components in the sorption of the dyestuff, all experiments were performed both for the dyestuff in aqueous solution and in real textile effluent. The pseudo-first and pseudo-second order kinetic models were fitted to the experimental data, being the latter the best fit for the aqueous solution of dyestuff. For the real effluent both models fit the experimental results and there is no statistical difference between them. The Central Composite Design (CCD) was used to evaluate the effects of temperature (15 - 45ºC) and pH (5 - 9) over the sorption in aqueous solution. The influence of pH was more significant than temperature. The optimal conditions selected were 45ºC and pH 9. Both Langmuir and Freundlich models could fit the equilibrium data. In the concentration range studied, the highest sorbent capacity was obtained for the optimal conditions in aqueous solution, which corresponds to a maximum capacity of 47± 4 mg g-1. The Yoon-Nelson, Thomas and Yan’s models fitted well the column experimental data. The highest breakthrough time for 50% removal, 170 min, was obtained at pH 9 in aqueous solution. The presence of the dyeing agents in the real wastewater decreased the sorption of the dyestuff mostly for pH 9, which is the optimal pH. The effect of pH is less pronounced in the real effluent than in aqueous solution. This work shows that feathers can be used as sorbent in the treatment of textile wastewaters containing DBA.

Os preços de transferência e o âmbito de intervenção do auditor: abordagem e enquadramento

Dissertação de Mestrado apresentado ao Instituto de Contabilidade e Administração do obtenção do grau de Mestre em Auditoria Auditoria, sob orientação de Adalmiro Álvaro Malheiro de Castro Andrade

Design and performance of a novel low-density parity-check code for distributed video coding

Low-density parity-check (LDPC) codes are nowadays one of the hottest topics in coding theory, notably due to their advantages in terms of bit error rate performance and low complexity. In order to exploit the potential of the Wyner-Ziv coding paradigm, practical distributed video coding (DVC) schemes should use powerful error correcting codes with near-capacity performance. In this paper, new ways to design LDPC codes for the DVC paradigm are proposed and studied. The new LDPC solutions rely on merging parity-check nodes, which corresponds to reduce the number of rows in the parity-check matrix. This allows to change gracefully the compression ratio of the source (DCT coefficient bitplane) according to the correlation between the original and the side information. The proposed LDPC codes reach a good performance for a wide range of source correlations and achieve a better RD performance when compared to the popular turbo codes.