A actuação do enfermeiro como gestor na unidade de terapia intensiva do Hospital Regional do Baixo Amazonas-Santarém-Pará-Brasil : um estudo de caso

Estudo descritivo que teve como objetivo avaliar a atuação do enfermeiro como gestor da Unidade de Terapia Intensiva do Hospital Regional do Baixo Amazonas Dr. Waldemar Pena – HRBA, o qual obteve o selo de Acreditado em Nível 1 em 2012. Para a obtenção dos dados utilizou-se um questionário elaborado com 10 perguntas subjetivas e aplicado aos enfermeiros gerentes que atuam nas Unidades de Terapia Intensiva e CTI do HRBA. Verificou-se nesse estudo que são indivíduos na faixa etária de 25 a 45 anos, com predominância do gênero feminino, com especialização em áreas diversas da enfermagem. Na atuação no setor de gerência, os enfermeiros estabelecem prioridades, direcionando sua equipe para os atendimentos assistenciais complexos aos pacientes, ficando o trabalho burocrático para ser realizado por último. Os entraves relatados são a insatisfação e o desgaste no exercício da função de gerente da unidade devido ao excesso de funcionários sem experiência em UTI, falta de autonomia, dupla jornada de trabalho, excesso de burocracia entre outras situações que se tornam motivos de estresse. Concluiu-se que a atuação do enfermeiro como gerente se respalda na função assistencial ao paciente através de cuidados diretos e indiretos e na organização dos trabalhos burocráticos na Unidade de Terapia Intensiva.

Alfredo Pareja Diezcanseco en «El jardín de la memoria» (Testimonios)

El autor brinda una faceta distinta del intelectual Alfredo Pareja, como asiduo visitante de la Librería Cima, de Quito, en los años 70. Reconstruye así la imagen del amigo generoso, del ávido lector, del erudito conocedor de autores universales, y muestra la relación del ya afamado autor de obras importantes con el dueño de la librería, en las que el énfasis radicaba en la amistad, más que en el comercio de textos. Alude también a una entrevista que le realizara. en la que Pareja insiste en la valoración que tuviera de la música como un arte superior a la literatura. Otros episodios aportan a este retrato, siempre en aquel espacio de libros, y que evidencian las cualidades humanas de Pareja Diezcanseco.

Plan para la optimización de procesos de una institución financiera en la ciudad de Quito

La presente investigación tiene su fundamento en la necesidad de realizar un análisis de los tiempos de atención de crédito de uno de los productos de consumo que otorga la empresa en estudio. Este producto está enfocado a un nicho de mercado que no tiene fácil acceso a las instalaciones físicas de la empresa, por lo que es imprescindible buscar nuevos mecanismos de gestión del crédito, a través de las TIC y las nuevas tendencias de mercado. En este sentido, esta tesis plantea la implementación de un novedoso, pero ya conocido sistema de gestión de procesos (BPM – Business Process Manager) a través del cual se pueda mejorar sustancialmente la oferta de valor en la entrega de los créditos y a su vez mejorar la capacidad instalada y la productividad del recurso humano que interviene en la concesión de crédito de consumo.

Formular e implementar una estrategia de desarrollo basado en un CRM para una MIPYMES comercializadora de productos de consumo masivo ubicado en el sector de la Floresta en Quito

La presente tesis se centra en diseñar, definir e implementar una estrategia de marketing basada en un software de CRM (Customer Relationship Manager), para un micromercado comercializador de productos de consumo masivo ubicado en el sector de la Floresta en Quito. En el capítulo I, se describe la importancia de la formulación de la estrategia corporativa y de marketing, en base a una adecuada segmentación por clúster a las bases de datos de clientes y como las mismas deben levantarse y construirse en la organización. En el capítulo II, se hace un análisis situacional del micromercado tomando en cuenta el macro ambiente, medio ambiente y micro ambiente, se realiza la definición de la estrategia de marketing del negocio, en la que se establecen los objetivos estratégicos de marketing de largo plazo 2.012 – 2.016 y los objetivos tácticos de marketing de corto plazo. En el capítulo III, se realiza una investigación de mercado con el objetivo de determina la factibilidad de implementar una estrategia de marketing basada en un software de CRM al micromercado y a las diferentes MIPYMES ubicadas en el sector de la Floresta. Determinada la factibilidad,en el capítulo IV,se define como se realiza dicha implementación en el micromercado, tomando como modelo los cuatro pilares básicos del CRM, a) estrategia, b) personas, c) proceso y d) tecnología. En el capítulo V, se realizan las conclusiones a la presente tesis y se sugieren las respectivas recomendaciones que se pueden seguir.

The EU’s re-engagement as a security actor: Fresh start or still sleepwalking. CEPS Commentary, 12 July 2012

By the end of the summer, the EU will launch new crisis management missions in the Horn of Africa, Niger and South Sudan. In this CEPS Commentary, Giovanni Faleg and Steven Blockmans question whether the new deployments will revive the EU’s persona as a global security actor. The authors point out that, without the backing of a comprehensive security strategy rationale, the EU’s re-engagement as a crisis manager that opts for small-scale operations will be seen as a continuation of its sleepwalking through a changing geostrategic landscape.

Multi-modal fingerprinting for multimedia assets: optimisation of media security protection in online distribution environments

Since the advent of the internet in every day life in the 1990s, the barriers to producing, distributing and consuming multimedia data such as videos, music, ebooks, etc. have steadily been lowered for most computer users so that almost everyone with internet access can join the online communities who both produce, consume and of course also share media artefacts. Along with this trend, the violation of personal data privacy and copyright has increased with illegal file sharing being rampant across many online communities particularly for certain music genres and amongst the younger age groups. This has had a devastating effect on the traditional media distribution market; in most cases leaving the distribution companies and the content owner with huge financial losses. To prove that a copyright violation has occurred one can deploy fingerprinting mechanisms to uniquely identify the property. However this is currently based on only uni-modal approaches. In this paper we describe some of the design challenges and architectural approaches to multi-modal fingerprinting currently being examined for evaluation studies within a PhD research programme on optimisation of multi-modal fingerprinting architectures. Accordingly we outline the available modalities that are being integrated through this research programme which aims to establish the optimal architecture for multi-modal media security protection over the internet as the online distribution environment for both legal and illegal distribution of media products.

Perceptions of the impacts of genetically modified cotton varieties: a case study of the cotton industry in Gujarat, India

The paper reports the findings of a study designed to consider the impact of the adoption of Bt cotton on markets, businesses, and institutional arrangements in India. Given that evidence to date suggests that widespread adoption of Bt cotton by farmers is likely to increase production, this study aims to assess possible implications for markets (access to inputs, prices of inputs and outputs, etc.) and local industries and to identify potential winners and losers. The results suggest that there are impacts on the cotton industry following from the release of Bt hybrids, and so far the impacts are most noticeable "upstream" (i.e., the input suppliers), where companies are rapidly moving away from the sale of bollworm insecticide and attempting to sell Bt seeds. Seed companies are looking for partnerships with Monsanto, the owner of the Bt gene. One reason that companies are keen to move away from insecticide is so they can avoid the need for credit supply to their customers. Seed purchase is not normally through credit, whereas insecticide purchase is. Issues for companies "downstream" (gins, textile manufacturers) relate more to the better quality of Bt cotton and the need for adequate segregation of Bt and non-Bt cotton.

A management architecture for active networks

In this paper we present an architecture for network and applications management, which is based on the Active Networks paradigm and shows the advantages of network programmability. The stimulus to develop this architecture arises from an actual need to manage a cluster of active nodes, where it is often required to redeploy network assets and modify nodes connectivity. In our architecture, a remote front-end of the managing entity allows the operator to design new network topologies, to check the status of the nodes and to configure them. Moreover, the proposed framework allows to explore an active network, to monitor the active applications, to query each node and to install programmable traps. In order to take advantage of the Active Networks technology, we introduce active SNMP-like MIBs and agents, which are dynamic and programmable. The programmable management agents make tracing distributed applications a feasible task. We propose a general framework that can inter-operate with any active execution environment. In this framework, both the manager and the monitor front-ends communicate with an active node (the Active Network Access Point) through the XML language. A gateway service performs the translation of the queries from XML to an active packet language and injects the code in the network. We demonstrate the implementation of an active network gateway for PLAN (Packet Language for Active Networks) in a forty active nodes testbed. Finally, we discuss an application of the active management architecture to detect the causes of network failures by tracing network events in time.

A genetic algorithm for the design of a fuzzy controller for active queue management

Active queue management (AQM) policies are those policies of router queue management that allow for the detection of network congestion, the notification of such occurrences to the hosts on the network borders, and the adoption of a suitable control policy. This paper proposes the adoption of a fuzzy proportional integral (FPI) controller as an active queue manager for Internet routers. The analytical design of the proposed FPI controller is carried out in analogy with a proportional integral (PI) controller, which recently has been proposed for AQM. A genetic algorithm is proposed for tuning of the FPI controller parameters with respect to optimal disturbance rejection. In the paper the FPI controller design metodology is described and the results of the comparison with random early detection (RED), tail drop, and PI controller are presented.

Do construction companies need to match employees' expectations?

Commitment of employees is relatively low in construction. This problem is exasperated by companies inability to attract, motivate, and retain talent that is then often channelled into other more attractive industrial sectors where the prospects, conditions and rewards are perceived to be much higher. The purpose of this study is thus primarily to develop a generic model to maximise employees' engagement, improve their motivation and increase the retention levels. To achieve this aim, the investigation looks into how perceived employment obligations and expectations impact commitment and through that organisational performance. The study is based on the postulations of Luhmann's theory of social systems with communication viewed as a constitutive element of a social system. Consequently expectations of a particular party in an employment relationship are represented in a communicative space requiring the other party's understanding in order to align expectations of both sides in the relationship. Explicitly, alignment of by an employee perceived manager's expectations determines his/ her commitment to fulfil obligations towards the manager. The result of this first stage of research is a conceptual model developed following the substantial supporting evidence in the literature and it forms the framework for mitigation of low commitment, motivation and retention of employees. The model particularly focuses on factors affecting employees' perceived expectations like reneging, incongruence and the process of communication. In the future the model will be validated using empirical data from a combination of observational and enquiry-based research. Once completed, the model will provide a framework for informing Human Resource Management policies with the aim to improve commitment of employees, increase the levels of retention and consequently improve the performance of construction organisations.

Free-range village chickens on the Accra plains, Ghana: Their contribution to households

A cross-sectional survey investigating the contribution of free-range village chickens to household economies was carried out in four administrative districts within 60km of Accra. Answers were provided by 101 men and 99 women. Nearly all respondents claimed to keep chickens for meat, with a far smaller percentage claiming to keep them for egg production. Over 80% of respondents kept chickens to supplement their incomes. The proportion of the flock eaten varied between administrative areas (p=0.009 and p=0.027), although this was possibly a consequence of differences in consumption patterns between occupation of the respondent, land area cultivated and flock size. The proportion of chickens sold varied as a result of differences in flock size (p=0.013), the proportion sold increasing with number of birds in the flock. Respondents generally agreed that chickens could be sold without difficulty. A majority of chicken sales were from the farm gate, directly to consumers or traders. Sales were on demand or when the owner needed money. Money from the sale was kept by the owner of the chicken and the money was spent on personal needs. The proportion of the flock sold varied between administrative areas (p=0.025) and occupation of the respondent (p=0.040). Respondents describing animal production as their main occupation tended to have greater reliance on chicken sales for their income. Consideration is given to estimating the offtake from the flock and the financial contribution to the household.

The impact of ICT on the work patterns of managers and their organisations

Purpose – The main aim of this paper is to present the results of a study examining managers' attitudes towards the deployment and use of information and communications technology (ICT) in their organisations. The study comes at a time when ICT is being recognised as a major enabler of innovation and new business models, which have the potential to have major impact on western economies and jobs. Design/methodology/approach – A questionnaire was specially designed to collect data relating to three research questions. The questionnaire also included a number of open-ended questions. A total of 181 managers from a wide range of industries across a number of countries participated in the electronic survey. The quantitative responses to the survey were analysed using SPSS. Exploratory factor analysis using Varimax rotation was used and ANOVA to compare responses by different groups. Findings – The survey showed that many of the respondents appeared equipped to work “any place, any time”. However, it also highlighted the challenges managers face in working in a connected operation. Also, the data suggested that many managers were less than confident about their companies' policies and practices in relation to information management. Originality/value – A next step from this exploratory research could be the development of a model exploring the impact of ICT on management and organisational performance in terms of personal characteristics of the manager, the role performed, the context and the ICT provision. Also, further research could focus on examining in more detail differences between management levels.

A sensor based intelligent building assessment model

While building provides shelter for human being, the previous models for assessing the intelligence of a building seldom consider the responses of occupants. In addition, the assessment is usually conducted by an authority organization on a yearly basis, thus can seldom provide timely assistance for facility manager to improve his daily facility maintenance performance. By the extending the law of entropy into the area of intelligent building, this paper demonstrate that both energy consumption and the response of occupants are important when partially assessing the intelligence of a building. This study then develops a sensor based real time building intelligence (BI) assessment model. An experimental case study demonstrates how the model can be implemented. The developed model can address the two demerits of the previous BI assessment model.