A Model for Filipino Work Team Effectiveness

This study utilized a sequential mixed method approach in developing a model for team effectiveness in Philippine organizations. In the first phase, qualitative data were gathered to elicit the factors that were deemed important to creating effective teams. In the second phase, a survey composed of three factors identified in the first phase: team member competencies, quality of relations, and leadership, was administered to 418 employees from 85 Filipino work teams from various sectors and industries. Results revealed that the three significant predictors accounted for 60% of the variance in perceived team effectiveness. The proposed model of input-process-output was partially supported. Results showed that quality of relations partially mediated the relationship of leadership and team member competence on perceived team effectiveness. The study highlights the importance of social relations especially in the Philippine context and underscores the value of understanding team effectiveness from a cultural perspective

Key Elements for Motion Planning Algorithms

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Examining Organizational Response and Employee Coping Behaviors amid the COVID-19 Pandemic

Using the crisis in context theory (CCT) as an ecological framework to understanding human behaviors, the study examined organizational responses and individual employee coping behaviors to mitigate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. Drawing from the perspectives of psychology, organization development, and management, the research examined dependent and independent organization and self-initiated actions that employees deemed helpful in coping with the effects of the crisis. Qualitative data were gathered through online survey from 216 employees in the Philippines, a developing country whose major cities were on community quarantine to minimize the spread of the pandemic. The study identified organizational actions or responses to help employees adapt to the COVID-19 crisis. These are: 1) flexible work arrangements, 2) mental health and well-being programs, 3) physical health and safety measures, 4) financial support, 5) provision of material resources, and 6) communication of short and long term plans. Findings also surfaced coping strategies at the individual employee level and how these relate to organizational initiatives. Seven themes emerged from the data- 1) task-focused coping, 2) stress management, 3) social coping, 4) cognitive strategies, 5) learning and development activities, 6) faith-oriented coping, and 7) maladaptive strategies. The analysis highlighted the interrelatedness of organizational responses and employee actions (e.g. how individual task/social coping behaviors were enabled by the company\u27s flexible work arrangements and provision of technological resources amidst physical distancing). Insights from the findings may orient organizational efforts to mitigate the impact of the pandemic as well as encourage and support positive employee coping behaviors

Community Engagement Experiences of Social Entrepreneurs in Rural Communities

Using the lens of interpretative phenomenological analysis, this study explored the community engagement experiences of six social entrepreneurs working with rural communities in the Philippines and how they made meaning of their community engagement experience. Data were gathered through semistructured interviews. The findings illustrate how engaging with rural communities through social entrepreneurship is a way for the entrepreneurs to help communities uplift their economic condition and to achieve other social goals such as improvement of the community’s quality of life and environmental sustainability. Social entrepreneurship was also a way to help empower communities as well as build their capabilities, shape positive values through culture building, and nurture relationships. Implications of the study to social enterprise research and policy, community engagement programs, and leader development are discussed

Validación de un cuestionario para la identificación de problemas relacionados con los medicamentos en usuarios de un servicio de urgencias hospitalario

Los problemas relacionados con los medicamentos (PRM) son problemas de salud asociados al uso de medicamentos.Son muchos los PRM que podemos encontrar si analizamos la medicación que toman los pacientes y los problemasde salud que refieren y muy variadas las causas que los ocasionan. La entrevista con el paciente constituye uninstrumento imprescindible para la obtención de información sobre qué medicamentos toma, como los toma y sobrela experiencia que de ellos tiene. Los servicios de urgencias hospitalarios constituyen cada día más una puerta deentrada al sistema sanitario para los ciudadanos, de forma que constituye un escenario adecuado para conocer laprevalencia de PRM, sin embargo las características propias de un servicio de urgencias de hospital requiere laadaptación de la entrevista con el usuario. Objetivo: El presente trabajo pretende diseñar y validar un cuestionariocomo instrumento para la obtención de información suficiente para la evaluación e identificación de PRM en losusuarios de un servicio de urgencias hospitalario. Metodología: Se procederá al diseño de un cuestionario con laintervención de expertos en Seguimiento Farmacoterapéutico, igualmente se procederá a la validación del mismopilotandolo sobre una muestra de 222 pacientes usuarios de un servicio de urgencias hospitalario. Resultado: Trasel pilotaje el cuestionario fue validado

Cumplimiento, conocimiento y automedicación como factores asociados a los resultados clínicos negativos de la farmacoterapia

The patient plays a fundamental role in the attainment of good results in pharmacotherapy. Noncompliance,self-medication, or insufficient knowledge of the therapy being employed may provide asource for the causes of these negative clinical outcomes, otherwise known as medicine related problems(MRP). he Dader method was used in the evaluation, identification and classification of MRP. Theassociation of variables was established through the statistical Chi square test. Patient knowledge of themedicine, degree of compliance to therapy and self-medication were studied as causes of the negativeoutcomes encountered. 2556 patients were interviewed throughout the year that the study took place,giving a total of 2261 of valid cases. 33% presented an MRP as the cause of his/her visit to the hospitalemergency ward. Knowledge of the medicine, compliance and self-medication were only studied in thepopulation that presented an MRP and in this work it is demonstrated that these are aspects that areassociated with different dimensions of MRP. It is not possible to establish an association between theexistence or not of negative clinical outcomes in patients with the factors of knowledge of medication,compliance and self-medication. This is due to the fact that these variables are not attributable to thepatient himself, but rather are associated with the characteristics of each medicine.El paciente juega un papel primordial en la consecución de los resultados terapéuticos. El incumplimiento,la automedicación, o la falta de conocimiento del la farmacoterapia pueden ser causas de esosresultados clínicos negativos, denominados en ocasiones problemas relacionados con medicamentos(PRM). El método Dáder se utilizó para la evaluación, identificación y clasificación de PRM. Laasociación de variables se estableció mediante el estadístico chi cuadrado. El conocimiento de la medicación,el cumplimiento y la automedicación fueron estudiados como causa de estos resultados negativosde la medicación. Fueron entrevistados 2556 pacientes durante el año de estudio, resultando 2261 casosválidos. El 33 % presentaron un PRM como causa de visita a urgencias. El conocimiento de la medicación,el cumplimiento y la automedicación fueron estudiados solo en la población que presentó unPRM y se demuestra que son aspectos asociados a las distintas dimensiones de PRM. No es posibleestablecer asociación entre la existencia o no de resultados clínicos negativos en los pacientes con elconocimiento de la medicación, el cumplimiento y la automedicación, debido a que estas variables noson atributos del paciente sino que están asociadas a cada medicamento

Effect of synthesis conditions on formation pathways of metal organic framework (MOF-5) Crystals

Metal Organic Frameworks (MOFs) represent a class of nanoporous crystalline materials with far reaching potential in gas storage, catalysis, and medical devices. We investigated the effects of synthesis process parameters on production of MOF-5 from terephthalic acid and zinc nitrate in diethylformamide. Under favorable synthesis conditions, we systematically mapped a solid formation diagram in terms of time and temperature for both stirred and unstirred conditions. The synthesis of MOF-5 has been previously reported as a straightforward reaction progressing from precursor compounds in solution directly to the final MOF-5 solid phase product. However, we show that the solid phase formation process is far more complex, invariably transferring through metastable intermediate crystalline phases before the final MOF-5 phase is reached, providing new insights into the formation pathways of MOFs. We also identify process parameters suitable for scale-up and continuous manufacturing of high purity MOF-5

Unsuspected and extensive transmission of a drug-susceptible Mycobacterium tuberculosis strain

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>A large and unsuspected tuberculosis outbreak involving 18.7% of the total of the tuberculosis cases studied, was detected in a population-based molecular epidemiological study performed in Zaragoza (Spain) from 2001 to 2004.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>The <it>Mycobacterium tuberculosis </it>drug-susceptible strain, named <it>MTZ </it>strain, was genetically characterized by IS<it>6110</it>-RFLP, Spoligotyping and by MIRU-VNTR typing and the genetic patterns obtained were compared with those included in international databases. The characteristics of the affected patients, in an attempt to understand why the <it>MTZ </it>strain was so highly transmitted among the population were also analyzed.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The genetic profile of the <it>MTZ </it>strain was rare and not widely distributed in our area or elsewhere. The patients affected did not show any notable risk factor for TB.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>The <it>M. tuberculosis </it>strain <it>MTZ</it>, might have particular transmissibility or virulence properties, and we believe that greater focus should be placed on stopping its widespread dissemination.</p