Calidad de vida laboral y liderazgo en trabajadores asistenciales y administrativos en un centro oncológico de la ciudad de Bogotá

El propósito de este estudio fue describir la Calidad de vida laboral (CVL) y el estilo de liderazgo percibido por el personal administrativo/asistencial de un centro oncológico y estimar la asociación entre ellas, considerando las características sociodemográficas. Para ello se aplicó el Cuestionario de Vida profesional [CVP-35] y el Test de Adjetivos de Pitcher [PAT]. En general, los participantes presentan una CVL satisfactoria, caracterizada principalmente por motivación intrínseca, lo cual fue más evidente en el personal asistencial. Respecto al liderazgo, se observó una percepción de ausencia de liderazgo o características poco deseables de éste, lo cual aunque no determina la CVL, si constituye un factor modulador de la misma, las variables sociodemográficas no guardaron relación con la CVL. Por último se resalta la responsabilidad social que tienen los directivos sobre bienestar de los trabajadores de la salud, y consecuentemente sobre la atención al paciente. Se discuten estos hallazgos y lo pertinente de utilizar las categorías emergentes del PAT.

Civil resistance in Italy: its history to debates

The history of civil resistance in Italy is almost unknown beyond its frontiers. The fiftieth anniversary of the Liberation in 1995 was the occasion to learn about a new historiography that emphasized the existence of an unarmed struggle  against the German occupation that gave prominence to women and underlined the importance of fostering social awareness and cohesion to face the barbarity of  war. This historiography made possible relativizing the key role given to armed struggle for the Liberation cause and paved the way for discussing the potential  of an unarmed civil defense.

The relative importance sector and regional factors in Italy

The benefits of sector and regional diversification have been well documented in the literature but have not previously been investigated in Italy. In addition, previous studies have used geographically defined regions, rather than economically functional areas, when performing the analysis even though most would argue that it is the economic structure of the area that will lead to differences in demand and hence property performance. This study therefore uses economically defined regions of Italy to test the relative benefits of regional diversification versus sector diversification within the Italian real estate portfolio. To examine this issue we use constrained cross-section regressions the on the sector and regional affiliation of 14 cities in Italy to extract the “pure” return effects of the different factors using annual data over the period 1989 to 2003. In contrast, to previous studies we find that regional factors effects in Italy have a much greater influence on property returns than sector-specific effects, which is probably a direct result of using the extremely diverse economic regions of Italy rather than arbitrary geographically locations. Be that as it may, the results strongly suggest that that diversification across the regions of Italy used here is likely to offer larger risk reduction benefits than a sector diversification strategy within a region. In other words, fund managers in Italy must monitor the regional composition of their portfolios more closely than its sector allocation. Additionally, the results supports that contemporary position that ‘regional areas’ based on economic function, provide greater diversification benefits rather than areas defined by geographical location.

The significance of occupancy steadiness in residential consumer response to Time of Use pricing: Evidence from a stochastic adjustment model

The recent roll-out of smart metering technologies in several developed countries has intensified research on the impacts of Time-of-Use (TOU) pricing on consumption. This paper analyses a TOU dataset from the Province of Trento in Northern Italy using a stochastic adjustment model. Findings highlight the non-steadiness of the relationship between consumption and TOU price. Weather and active occupancy can partly explain future consumption in relation to price.

An approach to develop flexible systems with organizational-interoperability requirements

Flexibility of information systems (IS) have been studied to improve the adaption in support of the business agility as the set of capabilities to compete more effectively and adapt to rapid changes in market conditions (Glossary of business agility terms, 2003). However, most of work on IS flexibility has been limited to systems architecture, ignoring the analysis of interoperability as a part of flexibility from the requirements. This paper reports a PhD project, which proposes an approach to develop IS with flexibility features, considering some challenges of flexibility in small and medium enterprises (SMEs) such as the lack of interoperability and the agility of their business. The motivation of this research are the high prices of IS in developing countries and the usefulness of organizational semiotics to support the analysis of requirements for IS. (Liu, 2005).

'Salve, magna parens': Virgil’s 'laudes Italiae' in Renaissance Italy and beyond

This article traces three major strands in the reception of the address to Italy at the end of Virgil’s laudes Italiae in Book II of the Georgics. The first is the adoption of phrasing from these lines as the basis for expressions of devotion to the writer’s country (and for panegyric of contemporary rulers), or in inverted form to lament the present state of the author’s homeland; the second is the appropriation of Virgil’s hymnic apostrophe to his patria in poems on religious themes, where language from this passage is harnessed to invoke the supreme deity or the Virgin Mary, another magna parens; and the third is the use of Virgilian terminology to celebrate Virgil himself as the mighty parent of poetry and poets, whose words (including those of the lines under discussion) have inspired the literary endeavours of his successors across Europe and beyond throughout subsequent centuries.

Role of glutamate NMDA receptors and nitric oxide located within the periaqueductal gray on defensive behaviors in mice confronted by predator

The midbrain periaqueductal gray (PAG) is part of the brain system involved in active defense reactions to threatening stimuli. Glutamate N-methyl-d-aspartate (NMDA) receptor activation within the dorsal column of the PAG (dPAG) leads to autonomic and behavioral responses characterized as the fear reaction. Nitric oxide (NO) has been proposed to be a mediator of the aversive action of glutamate, since the activation of NMDA receptors in the brain increases NO synthesis. We investigated the effects of intra-dPAG infusions of NMDA on defensive behaviors in mice pretreated with a neuronal nitric oxide synthase (nNOS) inhibitor [N omega-propyl-l-arginine (NPLA)], in the same midbrain site, during a confrontation with a predator in the rat exposure test (RET). Male Swiss mice received intra-dPAG injections of NPLA (0.1 or 0.4 nmol/0.1 mu l), and 10 min later, they were infused with NMDA (0.04 nmol/0.1 mu l) into the dPAG. After 10 min, each mouse was placed in the RET. NMDA treatment enhanced avoidance behavior from the predator and markedly increased freezing behavior. These proaversive effects of NMDA were prevented by prior injection of NPLA. Furthermore, defensive behaviors (e.g., avoidance, risk assessment, freezing) were consistently reduced by the highest dose of NPLA alone, suggesting an intrinsic effect of nitric oxide on defensive behavior in mice exposed to the RET. These findings suggest a potential role of glutamate NMDA receptors and NO in the dPAG in the regulation of defensive behaviors in mice during a confrontation with a predator in the RET.

RECOVERY OF p-TBC FROM A BUTADIENE WASHING STREAM IN A PILOT PLANT

Results obtained in a pilot-scale unit designed for COD removal and p-TBC (p-tert-butylcatechol) recovery from a butadiene washing stream (pH 14, 200,000 mg COD L(-1), highly toxic) at a petrochemical industry are presented. By adding H(3)PO(4), phase separation is achieved and p-TBC is successfully recovered (88 g L(-1) of washing stream). Information (time for phase separation and organic phase characterization) was gathered for designing a future industrial unit. The estimated heat generation rate was 990 kJ min(-1) and 15 min were enough to promote phase separation for a liquid column of approximately 1.15 m.

Além das versões: possibilidades da narrativa em entrevistas de história oral

The work with oral history consists of recording interviews which have historical and documental proprieties, with actors/actresses or witnesses of events, conjunctures, movements, institutions and ways of living along the contemporary history. One of its basic foundations is the narrative. An event or a situation lived by the interviewee can not be transmitted to any other person without being narrated. That means that it frames itself (meaning that it does become something) at the very moment of the interview. By telling his/her life experiences, the interviewee transforms what has been lived into language, selecting and organizing facts according to some determined meanings. This work of language in crystallising images (images which refer to, and mean again, life experience) is common in all narratives - and we do know that sometimes it is much more successful than others (just the way some oral history interviews are certainly more successful than others). However, perhaps we have not given yet all the attention needed to this work of language in the oral sources.

Role of glutamate NMDA receptors and nitric oxide located within the periaqueductal gray on defensive behaviors in mice confronted by predator

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

Role of nitric oxide in the periaqueductal gray in defensive behavior in mice: influence of prior local N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor activation and aversive condition

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

Effect of uroguanylin on potassium and bicarbonate transport in rat renal tubules

The effect of uroguanylin (UGN) oil K(+) and H(+) secretion in the renal tubules of the rat kidney was studied using in vivo stationary microperfusion. For the study of K(+) secretion, a tubule was Punctured to inject a column of FDC-green-colored Ringer's solution with 0.5 mmol KCI/L 10(-6)(mol UGN/L, and oil was Used to block fluid flow. K(+) activity and transepithelial potential differences (PD) were measured with double microelectrodes (K(+) ion-selective resin vs. reference) in the distal tubules of the same nephron. During perfusion, K(+) activity rose exponentially, from 0.5 mmol/L to stationary concentration, allowing for the calculation of K(+) secretion J(K)). JK increased from 0.63 +/- 0.06 nmol.cm(-2).s(-1) in the control croup to 0.85 +/- 0.06 in the UGN group (p < 0.01). PD was -51.0 +/- 5.3 mV in the control group and -50.3 +/- 4.98 mV in the UGN group. In the presence of 10(-7) mol iberiotoxin/L, the UGN effect was abolished: JK was 0.37 +/- 0.038 nmol-cm(-2).s(-1) in the absence of, and 0.38 +/- 0.025 in the presence of, UGN. indicating its action oil rnaxi-K channels. In another series of experiments, renal tubule acidification was studied, using similar method: proximal and distal tubules were perfused with solutions containing 25 mmol NaHCO(3)/L. Acidification half-time was increased both in proximal and distal segments and, as a consequence, bicarbonate reabsorption decreased in the presence of UGN (in proximal tubules, from 2.40 +/- 0.26 to 1.56 +/- 0.21 nmol-cm(-2).s(-1)). When the Na(+)/H(+) exchanger was inhibited by 10(-4) mol hexamethylene amiloride (HMA)/L, the control and UGN groups were not significantly different. In the late distal tubule, after HMA, UGN significantly reduced J(HCO3)(-). indicating all effect of UGN oil H(+)-ATPase. These data show that UGN stimulated J(K)(+) by actin, oil maxi-K channels. and decreased J(HCO3)(-) by acting on NHE3 in proximal and H(+)-ATPase in distal tubules.