Alcoholic liver disease: A clinical series in an Australian private practice

Background and Aim: The published literature on alcoholic liver disease (ALD) in Australia lacks a large clinical series out of private practice as distinct from hospital-based hepatology referral units. This series describes the presentation and clinical features of ALD in a consecutive series out of metropolitan private practice in Australia. Methods: A retrospective descriptive study by case-note review found 297 cases of ALD at a Brisbane practice over 20 years. The main outcome measures were: clinical features and stage at presentation, reasons for referral, and the predictive value of aspartate aminotransferase (AST)/alanine aminotransferase (ALT) ratio. Results: Most patients (57.9%) had no symptoms of liver disease and 29 patients (9.8%) had neither symptoms nor signs. Cirrhosis was found in 41% of patients and hepatitis-fibrosis was found in 26% of patients. The male to female (M: F) ratio was 4.7:1. The AST/ALT ratio was not reliably predictive of ALD stage. The average reported daily alcohol intake was 131 g. Females drank less on average and presented a more vigorous clinical picture. Conclusions: This series presents the spectrum of ALD in a metropolitan Australian private practice. Many patients are asymptomatic on presentation. All heavy drinkers should be targeted for early investigation without waiting for volunteered symptoms or abnormal physical signs. The male to female ratio in ALD is higher than hitherto reported. The AST/ALT ratio is not generally applicable in the staging of ALD. The differences from hospital series data suggest the demography and epidemiology of ALD in Australia are incomplete, and further study is warranted. (C) 2001 Blackwell Science Asia Pty Ltd.

Uma breve compara????o entre os mercados de trabalho do setor p??blico e privado

Este artigo apresenta diversas caracter??sticas dos mercados de trabalho do setor p??blico e privado, ressaltando as disparidades entre ambos e, mais especificamente, as distor????es observadas no setor p??blico, a fim de demonstrar o grau de segmenta????o entre ambos. As compara????es se d??o em torno do comportamento do emprego, do perfil dos trabalhadores e da din??mica das remunera????es. A an??lise evidencia que a crise fiscal e a rigidez da legisla????o s??o determinantes fundamentais das caracter??sticas e distor????es (e conseq??entemente da segmenta????o) observadas no setor p??blico e que a flexibiliza????o das regras atuais, assim como as reformas constitucionais em curso, constituem importante condi????o para a aproxima????o entre os dois mercados e a melhoria da gest??o de recursos humanos na administra????o p??blica.

Estudo sobre a captação dos fundos de Private Equity e Venture Capital

O estudo tem por objetivo avaliar os fatores que possam explicar a captação de recursos (fundraising) dos fundos de Private Equity e Venture Capital (PE/VC). Em linhas gerais, a proposta é averiguar empiricamente quais são os fatores que impactam na captação de recursos pelos fundos de PE/VC. A amostra foi formada por 25 países e em um espaço temporal de 6 anos (2006-2011). Foram identificados seis fatores: atividade econômica, desenvolvimento do mercado de capitais, governança corporativa, desenvolvimento socioambiental, empreendedorismo e tributação. Assim, construiu-se através de Análise Fatorial seis fatores que foram compostos por 26 variáveis. Por meio de regressão múltipla foram investigadas as relações entre a captação de recursos por parte dos fundos PE/VC e os fatores gerados. Os resultados demonstraram que apesar dos fatores testados serem significativos, a captação dos recursos é fortemente influenciada pelo nível de desenvolvimento do mercado de capitais. Os resultados aqui encontrados se tornam relevantes, pois discutem uma realidade crescente tanto no Brasil quanto no mundo, visto que o mercado de PE/VC solidifica-se como alternativa de captação de recursos.

Going Global: an organizational study of Brazilian foreign policy

This study analyzes the impact of globalisation on the organization and strategies outlined by the Brazilian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The study intends to understand how countries from the periphery deal with new institutional challenges resulting from globalization, using the case of the Brazilian diplomatic service.

Determinant factors of the implementation of the balanced scorecard in Portugal: empirical evidence in public and private organizations

In this article we aim to identify and analyze a set of variables that can potentially influence the adoption of the Balanced Scorecard (BSC)in Portugal. Hypotheses were tested using data obtained from a questionnaire sent to 591 publicly-owned organizations (local governments, municipal corporations and hospitals) and 549 privately-owned organizations (large companies and small and medium enterprises) in Portugal, with an overall response rate of 31.3%. The results allow us to conclude that although the majority of respondents claimed to know the BSC, its use in Portugal is still limited and very recent, particularly in the public sector organizations. However, it should be noted that its use has increased in Portugal in recent years. Using as theoretical framework the contingency and institutional theories, we found that decentralization, vertical differentiation and the degree of higher education are associated with the implementation of the BSC.

Are public officials really less satisfied than private sector workers?A comparative study in Brazil

This research aims to compare the public and private sectors with regard to satisfaction at work. We conducted a survey with 670 professionals from both sectors in Brazil. The results of variance analysis confirm previous researches indicating that public officials are less satisfied with their work than private sector workers. However, this result does not repeat when we evaluate the satisfaction dimensions. For instance, public officials reported being more satisfied than private sector workers with regard to social environment and work stability. Unexpectedly, the results suggest that there is no difference between these sectors when we analyze the satisfaction with supervision. Therefore, this article is relevant for Brazilian managers, by offering an empirical research on the distinction between public and private. The article also discusses the theoretical implications, since Brazilian findings do not completely support the international literature.

Private cloud computing platforms. Analysis and implementation in a Higher Education Institution

The constant evolution of the Internet and its increasing use and subsequent entailing to private and public activities, resulting in a strong impact on their survival, originates an emerging technology. Through cloud computing, it is possible to abstract users from the lower layers to the business, focusing only on what is most important to manage and with the advantage of being able to grow (or degrades) resources as needed. The paradigm of cloud arises from the necessity of optimization of IT resources evolving in an emergent and rapidly expanding and technology. In this regard, after a study of the most common cloud platforms and the tactic of the current implementation of the technologies applied at the Institute of Biomedical Sciences of Abel Salazar and Faculty of Pharmacy of Oporto University a proposed evolution is suggested in order adorn certain requirements in the context of cloud computing.