54 research outputs found
THE SPARTAN SCHOOL OF INSTITUTIONAL ECONOMICS AT MICHIGAN STATE UNIVERSITY
No full textHeterodox scholarship at Michigan State University (MSU) was influenced by the institutional economics of John R. Commons at Wisconsin. But it was far from monolithic and had many other sources and originality of its own. A case can be made that the center of institutional economics moved across Lake Michigan from Madison to East Lansing and blossomed in the second half of the 20th century with such Wisconsin Ph.D's as Raleigh Barlowe, Warren Samuels, Allan Schmid, Harry Trebing, and others. Equally important in making MSU a center of institutional economics were scholars from other institutional backgrounds such as Paul Strassmann, economic development; Robert Solo, science and technology; James Shaffer, agricultural marketing and consumer behavior; Nicholas Mercuro, law and economics; and others.Institutional and Behavioral Economics,
IMPGOBDAT : implementation of a data management methodology pilot on information from a Colombian company
No full textLas empresas, en su camino de cumplir con sus objetivos estratégicos, han encontrado en los datos de la organización un activo clave y principal para llevar a sus empresas a otro nivel de apalancamiento. Hoy en día, las empresas que toman decisiones con base en sus datos son quienes marcan el camino de la competencia en su sector. Sin embargo, para que una empresa pueda lograr objetivamente tomar decisiones basadas en datos, estos últimos deben cumplir con las características requeridas para que sean confiables y de calidad, de tal manera que la empresa tenga total confianza en sus datos como centro de todas las decisiones. En este documento se podrá encontrar la problemática de una empresa respecto a sus datos y la solución metodológica entregada a través de las dimensiones de información del data management.Companies, on their way to achieving their strategic objectives, have found in the organization's data an active and primary key to carry their companies to another level of leverage. Today, the companies that make decisions based on their data are the ones who lead the way in the competition in their sector. However, for a company to be able to objectively make decisions based on data, the latter must meet the required characteristics so that they are reliable and of quality, so that the company has total confidence in its data as the center of all decisions. In this document you can find the problems of an entity of the banking system regarding its data and the methodological solution delivered through the information dimensions of data management.Magíster en Ingeniería de Sistemas y ComputaciónMaestrí
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Atomic energy as an humane endeavor: Retrospective on its development
No full textThis report is a speech delivered in Tokyo, Japan, by the author. It covers the historical aspects of atomic energy, from the pre-fission days until present. Such pioneer experiments conducted by O. Hahn, L. Meitner, and F. Strassmann to describe barium isotopes as the result of bombardment of uranium with neutrons are discussed. The author also discussed in detail the pre-war nuclear research at Berkeley, a leading center of nuclear research. Such important events as the synthesis and identification of cobalt-60, iodine-131, and technetium-99m are also discussed. The author discussed the nuclear power as a source of electricity and the perspective on the future of nuclear power. 32 refs., 19 figs., 5 tabs
Elaboração de um business case como ferramenta para avaliar a viabilidade de implantação dos softwares de gestão empresarial - ERP - Enterprise Resource Planning
No full textDissertação (mestrado) - Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina, Centro Tecnológico. Programa de Pós-Graduação em Engenharia de Produção.O objetivo do trabalho é identificar e analisar metodologias que tratam da elaboração de um Business Case, ferramenta fundamental no processo decisório sobre investimentos em Software ERP, com vistas a proposição de uma metodologia. A elaboração do Business Case pretende verificar a viabilidade e o comprometimento necessário de recursos (tempo, prazo e pessoas) nos processos de implantação do Software ERP. Identificou-se através de um levantamento bibliográfico as definições sobre temas relativos à justificativa de investimentos em Tecnologia da Informação. O trabalho foi realizado de acordo com os métodos científicos, caracterizando-se como uma pesquisa Qualitativa, Exploratória e Descritiva, Documental e Bibliográfica, focada no Método Comparativo. As empresas selecionadas para o estudo e comparação das metodologias são a empresa Symnetics e empresa Gartner Group. Estas empresas foram escolhidas para a análise comparativa por serem especializadas em consultoria de tecnologia da informação, com atuação internacional, e parceiras dos principais fornecedores de software ERP. Com base no estudo e avaliação das metodologias utilizadas pelas empresas, foi possível a identificação de etapas críticas na elaboração de um Business Case e a proposição de uma metodologia, de abordagem balanceada. Verificaram-se as etapas impactantes nos processos que objetivam esclarecer a decisão de investir em software ERP, dentre elas, estão: alinhamento do software com os direcionadores estratégicos; quantificação dos benefícios, análise de risco do projeto e avaliação da prontidão organizacional. Este trabalho propõe que o resultado de um Business Case seja apresentado, categorizado por perspectivas, balanceadas entre si. As perspectivas propostas para avaliação da implantação do ERP ou não, são: alinhamento estratégico, financeira, processos internos e técnica
Development of a Communication Instrument to Address Sexuality in COPD: COSY.
No full textSexuality, an important aspect of quality of life (QoL), is often overlooked in COPD. Our aim was to develop an instrument that facilitates communication and counseling on sexuality in persons living with COPD. We searched for publications on sexuality in COPD focusing on communication about sexuality and communication tools to support such communication. We also performed a survey asking 25 patients and 36 health care professionals (HCP) about their attitudes, experiences, barriers and facilitators when talking about sexuality. The survey showed that although patients and HCP wanted to talk about sexuality, it rarely happened due to communication barriers, lack of self-confidence and misconceptions on both sides. We set up a project expert team of HCP and three persons with COPD. In a half-day workshop, the team discussed the results of the literature review and the survey as a basis for the contents, the "when and how" to address communication about sexuality and the design of the communication instrument. In review rounds of the expert team, feedback on the drafts was collected and integrated into the final version of the communication instrument COSY (COmmunication about SexualitY in COPD). The COSY instrument resulted in four tools: a communication leaflet, an application guide, a pictorial representation of the spectrum of intimacy for HCP and a comprehensible, picturized information booklet for patients. Addressing sexuality in persons living with COPD should not be neglected. The COSY instrument could help to start and shape communication and consultations about sexuality and a more holistic consideration of QoL
Placental DEPTOR as a stress sensor during pregnancy
No full textThe author(s) has paid for this article to be freely available under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial Licence (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/2.5/) which permits unrestricted non-commercial use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. Copyright @ 2012 Portland Press. The article has been made available through the Brunel Open Access Publishing Fund.DEPTOR [DEP-domain-containing and mTOR (mammalian target of rapamycin)-interacting protein] is a modulator of mTOR signalling that binds to mTORC (mTOR complex) 1 and mTORC2. However, to date, the precise functions of DEPTOR are not fully elucidated, particularly in reproductive tissues where mTOR acts as a placental nutrient sensor. Pregnancy is associated with major physiological and psychosocial changes and adaptation to these changes is crucial for normal fetal development. In the present study, we tested the hypothesis that maternal stress can affect mTOR signalling at term, and, as a result, influence placental growth. We first investigated the expression of DEPTOR, mTOR, rictor (rapamycin-insensitive companion of mTOR) and raptor (regulatory associated protein of mTOR) from human placentas (n=23) using Q-PCR (quantitative PCR), and correlated these data to days of pregnancy and maternal stress, as well as placental and fetal weight. Maternal and fetal cortisol levels were also measured. JEG-3 and BeWo cells, used as placental in vitro models, were treated with cortisol and DEPTOR expression was assessed using Q-PCR. DEPTOR appears to be the predominant transcript in the human placenta compared with mTOR, rictor and raptor in both term (n=13) and preterm (n=10) placentas as assessed by Q-PCR. There was a significantly lower level only of log-DEPTOR gene expression in the high stress group (-1.34) than in the low stress group (0.07; t₂₀=2.41, P=0.026). Interestingly, mothers with high stress had significantly elevated levels of cortisol (8555 pg/ml) compared with those with low stress (4900 pg/ml). We then tested the hypothesis that cortisol can directly affect DEPTOR expression. When BeWo cells were treated with cortisol 10, 100 and 1000 nM, the expression of DEPTOR was significantly down-regulated by 50, 41 and 39% (all P<0.05) respectively when compared with basal levels. Treatment of JEG-3 cells with cortisol, led to a significant decrease of DEPTOR expression at 100 nM (39%, P<0.05) and at 1000 nM (73%, P<0.01). These novel findings are indicative of a higher order of complexity of DEPTOR signalling in the human placenta that is affected by maternal stress, which could affect pregnancy outcome
Commonly Used Patient-Reported Outcomes Do Not Improve Prediction of COPD Exacerbations A Multicenter 41/2 Year Prospective Cohort Study
No full textBACKGROUND: Several cross-sectional and short-term studies suggest that patient-reported outcomes (PROs) may be useful to help predict COPD exacerbations, but evidence from long-term prospective cohort studies is lacking. Our aim was to assess if PROs add to the prediction of exacerbations. METHODS: Four hundred eight primary care patients with COPD participated in the multi-center prospective International Collaborative Effort on Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease: Exacerbation Risk Index Cohorts (ICE COLD ERIC) study. PROs included the Chronic Respiratory Disease Questionnaire, the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale, the Feeling Thermometer, and the LASA Physical Activity Questionnaire (LAPAQ). Exacerbations during 41/2 years were adjudicated by experts. We used negative binomial regression to assess the association between PROs and exacerbations while considering age, sex, airflow obstruction, previous exacerbations, and smoking status. We then assessed if adding PROs improved the predictive properties of widely used indices. RESULTS: Lower levels of dyspnea, fatigue, and anxiety and higher levels of physical activity were associated with a lower risk of exacerbations (adjusted incidence rate ratio [IRR], 0.90; 95% CI, 0.84-0.97; P = .01; IRR, 0.93; 95% CI, 0.86-1.00; P = .04; IRR, 1.03; 95% CI, 1.00-1.06; P = .03; IRR, 0.93; 95% CI, 0.87-0.99; P = .04, respectively). The best prediction was when LAPAQ was added to the BMI, airflow obstruction, dyspnea, and previous exacerbations (BODEx) index (area under the curve Delta+0.02, from 0.72-0.74). However, this increase was not clinically relevant (net reclassification improvement, 0.03; 95% CI, -0.03 to 0.08). CONCLUSIONS: Some domains of PROs are independently associated with exacerbations but do not lead to clearly improved prediction when added to established indices to predict exacerbations. There is still much room for improvement in the prediction of exacerbation
Smartphone-based physical activity telecoaching in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: Mixed-methods study on patient experiences and lessons for implementation
No full textBackground: Telecoaching approaches can enhance physical activity (PA) in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). However, their effectiveness is likely to be influenced by intervention-specific characteristics. Objective: This study aimed to assess the acceptability, actual usage, and feasibility of a complex PA telecoaching intervention from both patient and coach perspectives and link these to the effectiveness of the intervention. Methods: We conducted a mixed-methods study based on the completers of the intervention group (N=159) included in an (effective) 12-week PA telecoaching intervention. This semiautomated telecoaching intervention consisted of a step counter and a smartphone app. Data from a project-tailored questionnaire (quantitative data) were combined with data from patient interviews and a coach focus group (qualitative data) to investigate patient and coach acceptability, actual usage, and feasibility of the intervention. The degree of actual usage of the smartphone and step counter was also derived from app data. Both actual usage and perception of feasibility were linked to objectively measured change in PA. Results: The intervention was well accepted and perceived as feasible by all coaches present in the focus group as well by patients, with 89.3% (142/159) of patients indicating that they enjoyed taking part. Only a minority of patients (8.2%; 13/159) reported that they found it difficult to use the smartphone. Actual usage of the step counter was excellent, with patients wearing it for a median (25th-75th percentiles) of 6.3 (5.8-6.8) days per week, which did not change over time (P=.98). The smartphone interface was used less frequently and actual usage of all daily tasks decreased significantly over time (P<.001). Patients needing more contact time had a smaller increase in PA, with mean (SD) of +193 (SD 2375) steps per day, +907 (SD 2306) steps per day, and +1489 (SD 2310) steps per day in high, medium, and low contact time groups, respectively; P for-trend=.01. The overall actual usage of the different components of the intervention was not associated with change in step count in the total group (P=.63). Conclusions: The 12-week semiautomated PA telecoaching intervention was well accepted and feasible for patients with COPD and their coaches. The actual usage of the step counter was excellent, whereas actual usage of the smartphone tasks was lower and decreased over time. Patients who required more contact experienced less PA benefits. Trial Registration: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT02158065; http://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT02158065 (Archived by WebCite at http://www.webcitation.org/73bsaudy9). © Matthias Loeckx, Roberto A Rabinovich, Heleen Demeyer, Zafeiris Louvaris, Rebecca Tanner, Noah Rubio, Anja Frei, Corina De Jong, Elena Gimeno-Santos, Fernanda M Rodrigues, Sara C Buttery, Nicholas S Hopkinson, Gilbert Büsching, Alexandra Strassmann, Ignasi Serra, Ioannis Vogiatzis, Judith Garcia-Aymerich, Michael I Polkey, Thierry Troosters
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