Avaliação da sastisfação dos usuários com a ferramenta de gestão de carteiras empresariais do Banco do Brasil

Conhecer o cliente e intensificar o relacionamento deixou de ser uma forma de diferenciação para tornar-se praticamente uma maneira de sobrevivência no mercado bancário, onde os produtos e serviços são muito semelhantes, tornando a disputa pela preferência do cliente cada vez mais acirrada. O desenvolvimento da Tecnologia da Informação possibilitou o desenvolvimento de ferramentas tecnológicas para a obtenção e o gerenciamento das informações dos clientes. Esses sistemas auxiliam os gestores no desenvolvimento das estratégias de relacionamento e na gestão do mesmo. O Banco do Brasil, para o gerenciamento de suas carteiras empresariais, utiliza-se de uma ferramenta de gestão, chamada ATBzinho. O objetivo deste trabalho é analisar satisfação dos usuários desta ferramenta, como instrumento de auxílio para o aprimoramento da mesma e da qualidade do gerenciamento das carteiras empresariais. Desenvolveu-se o trabalho em duas etapas, a primeira, exploratória, onde se procurou obter maior conhecimento da ferramenta e das referências bibliográficas; a segunda de caráter qualitativo, mediante a aplicação de um questionário, com os usuários, gerentes de módulo, para avaliar a satisfação e a percepção dos mesmos sobre a ferramenta. Como principais resultados percebe-se a insatisfação dos avaliados com relação à produtividade e inovação, conseqüência da falta de tempestividade na atualização das informações prejudicando a produtividade e com relação a inovação percebemos os reflexos do fato desta ferramenta ser uma réplica de um sistema já utilizado para o controle dos orçamentos da agência, não permitindo assim uma maior interação com o usuário. Resultados melhores foram encontrados com a satisfação geral do usuário com a ferramenta e principalmente com relação ao Controle Gerencial proporcionado pela mesma

ART restorations for occluso-proximal cavities in primary molars: a two-year survival and cost analysis of an RCT comparing two GIC brands

There are many glass ionomer cements available on the Brazilian market for Atraumatic Restorative Treatment (ART), however, there is still a gap in the literature regarding their cost-effectiveness. Objectives: To evaluate the influence of restorative materials (Ketac Molar, 3M ESPE; and Vitro Molar, Nova DFL) in the two-year survival rate and cost-effectiveness of occluso-proximal ART restorations in primary molars. Methodology: A total of 117 children (aged four to eight years) with at least one occluso-proximal carious lesion in primary molars were selected and randomly divided in treatment groups (KM or VM) in this parallel randomized controlled trial. Treatments followed ART premises and were conducted in public schools by trained operators in Barueri, Brazil. A trained, calibrated, and blinded examiner performed the evaluations after two, six, 12, and 24 months (k=0.92). Kaplan-Meier survival analysis was used to estimate restoration survival and Cox regression was used to test the association with clinical factors (α=5%). For cost analysis, material and professional costs were considered. Monte Carlo analysis was used to generate a cost-effectiveness plane and bootstrapping was used to compare material costs over the years. Results: The overall survival rate was 36.9% after two years (48.6% for KM and 25.4% for VM). Restorations with VM failed more than those with KM (HR=1.70; 95% CI=1.06–2.73; p=0.027). VM presented lower initial cost, but no difference was observed between groups considering the two-year incremental cost. Conclusion: After a two-year evaluation, KM proved to be a better option than VM for occluso-proximal ART restorations in primary molars. ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT0226772

La Capacitacion de Operarios de la Industria Enologica para Asegurar la Calidad de los Vinos Elaborados en Mendoza

• Estudiar la incidencia de la capacitación de los operarios de la actividad enológica en los sistemas de gestión de calidad para vinos exportados. • Realizar un aporte a la competitividad de la industria enológica de Mendoza y a la inserción laboral del personal vinculado a la misma, creando un impacto social positivo

HEDGE FINANCEIRO PARA OPERAÇÕES EM DÓLAR AMERICANO

O processo de globalização dos mercados tem influenciado de maneira bastante ampla o modelo de operação das empresas, tanto por meio da ampliação da oferta de fornecedores de insumos quanto pelo aumento de clientes no exterior. Este novo contexto tem propiciado vários benefícios, dentre eles o aumento de vendas e a redução dos custos dos insumos, como também tem exposto estas empresas a riscos adicionais importantes, como o risco cambial. Ao longo do tempo e por influência do desenvolvimento dos mercados de valores, começaram a ser desenvolvidas ferramentas destinadas à proteção das operações de compra e venda de ativos, como contratos a termo, contratos futuros e opções, o que permitiu o desenvolvimento de várias estratégias de proteção, ou hedging. Com o objetivo de apresentar uma estratégia de hedge por meio de contratos futuros para operações de vendas em dólares americanos, estaremos utilizando a técnica de hedge de variância mínima aplicada sobre um fluxo de recebimento de contratos de uma empresa exportadora. Para esta aplicação foram utilizadas as cotações no mercado à vista e futuros negociados na Bolsa de Mercadoria e Futuros (BM&F)

Atualidades sobre a suplementação nutricional com beta-alanina no esporte

O objetivo deste artigo foi discutir possíveis benefícios, formas de suplementação, riscos e prejuízos da utilização da β-alanina, com base nos dados disponíveis na literatura científica atual. Realizou-se revisão da literatura baseada em publicações nacionais e internacionais (2002-2014), com busca em bases de dados eletrônicas: Lilacs, Pubmed, Scielo, Bireme e Quiron. A β-alanina é obtida pela dieta e é precursora da carnosina, que está fibras musculares e funciona como tampão, agindo contra a fadiga muscular induzida por acidose. Em estudo com universitários norte-americanos, praticantes de wrestling (n=22) e jogadores de futebol (n=15), que consumiram 4g/dia/β-alanina ou placebo durante 8 semanas, o grupo suplementado apresentou aumento de desempenho e maior síntese de massa magra em relação ao placebo (p>0,05). Outro estudo, com remadores belgas (2.000m), verificou aumento de performance após consumo de 5g/dia/β-alanina (sete semanas) (p>0,05). Um estudo realizado em 2014, com 9 esquiadores de elite da Suíça, suplementados com 4,8g/dia/β-alanina durante 5 semanas, mostrou que o suplemento melhorou o desempenho máximo (p=0,02), reduziu o déficit de oxigênio (p=0,06), o acúmulo de lactato (31%) e reforçou a energia aeróbia (p=0,07) desses atletas. Estudo recente com 40 homens, ciclistas treinados e indivíduos não treinados de São Paulo, suplementados com 6,4g/dia/β-alanina (4 semanas), apontou melhora de desempenho físico em treinados (p=0,002) e não treinados (p=0,03). A maioria dos estudos sobre suplementação de β-alanina mostraram aumento de carnosina muscular e melhor desempenho esportivo, tanto em participantes treinados quanto não treinados, supondo que o nível de treinamento não altera a eficácia da suplementação. ABSTRACTUpdates on nutritional supplementations with beta-alanine in sportsThe aim of this article was to discuss possible benefits, forms of supplementation, risks and damages of the use of β-alanine, based on available data in current scientific literature. A review of the literature was carried out based on national and international publications (2002-2014), searching in electronic databases: Pubmed, Lilacs, Scielo, Bireme and Quiron. β-alanine is obtained by diet and it is a precursor of carnosine, which is in muscle fibers and acts against muscular fatigue induced by acidosis. In a study with American students, wrestling athletes (n=22) and football players (n=15), who consumed 4g/dia/β-alanine or placebo for 8 weeks, the supplemented group showed increased performance and greater synthesis of lean mass compared to placebo (p>0,05). Another study, with Belgian rowers (2.000m), verified performance boost after consumption of 5g/dia/β-alanine (seven weeks) (p>0,05). A study carried out in 2014, with nine elite skiers in Switzerland, supplemented with 4,8g/dia/β-alanine during 5 weeks, showed that the supplement improved the maximum performance (p=0,02), reduced the oxygen deficit (p=0,06) and lactate accumulation (31%), and reinforced the aerobic energy (p=0,07) of these athletes. Recent study with 40 men, cyclists trained and untrained individuals from São Paulo, supplemented with 6,4g/dia/β-alanine (4 weeks), pointed out physical performance improvement in trained (p=0,002) and untrained (p=0,03). Most studies on β-alanine supplementation showed increased muscle carnosine and better sports performance, both trained and non-trained participants, indicating that the level of training does not alter the effectiveness of supplementation

He reform of theHungarian higher education and the non-university sector

One of the most important weak points of the Hungarian higher education (just like the Central European higher education system) in the communist era was the extremely low access rate, roughly around 10% of the age group in the region. Such a system cuts the way before a large percentage of the age group towards post-secondary education and we cannot help thinking about political considerations of the governing nomenclature behind it. In some countries of the region the situation could be qualified even anticonstitutional since the respective constitutions stipulated: Each citizen, having graduated from the secondary education system has the right to enter the post-secondary education in a filiere appropriately chosen according to his or her capacities. Beyond this bottleneck at the access to higher education another common characteristic of the region higher education system were the inappropriate, if existing, links between education and economy. This bad relationship is especially dangerous in a period of rapid economical and social changes of the society. Regardless of the direction of the changes, the accelerated evolution of the society necessitates a high level of adaptability of the education and training system. Traditional higher education systems with their long cycle courses - Iet alone the sometimes obsolete curricula - are not able to satisfy the rapidly appearing needs of the new economical system. ln the same time on the traditional fields the good performance of the higher educational systems was weIl known. This gave the false justification for the higher education institutions to preserve their structure, profile, curricula, etc

ART restorations for occluso-proximal cavities in primary molars: a two-year survival and cost analysis of an RCT comparing two GIC brands

There are many glass ionomer cements available on the Brazilian market for Atraumatic Restorative Treatment (ART), however, there is still a gap in the literature regarding their cost-effectiveness. Objectives To evaluate the influence of restorative materials (Ketac Molar, 3M ESPE; and Vitro Molar, Nova DFL) in the two-year survival rate and cost-effectiveness of occluso-proximal ART restorations in primary molars. Methodology A total of 117 children (aged four to eight years) with at least one occluso-proximal carious lesion in primary molars were selected and randomly divided in treatment groups (KM or VM) in this parallel randomized controlled trial. Treatments followed ART premises and were conducted in public schools by trained operators in Barueri, Brazil. A trained, calibrated, and blinded examiner performed the evaluations after two, six, 12, and 24 months (k=0.92). Kaplan-Meier survival analysis was used to estimate restoration survival and Cox regression was used to test the association with clinical factors (α=5%). For cost analysis, material and professional costs were considered. Monte Carlo analysis was used to generate a cost-effectiveness plane and bootstrapping was used to compare material costs over the years. Results The overall survival rate was 36.9% after two years (48.6% for KM and 25.4% for VM). Restorations with VM failed more than those with KM (HR=1.70; 95% CI=1.06–2.73; p=0.027). VM presented lower initial cost, but no difference was observed between groups considering the two-year incremental cost. Conclusion After a two-year evaluation, KM proved to be a better option than VM for occluso-proximal ART restorations in primary molars. ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT02267720 Atraumatic Restorative Treatment; Glass ionomer cement; Clinical trial; Cost-effectiveness; Restoration survival percentage; Primary teeth; Pediatric dentistr

Aberrant DNA methylation profiles of inherited and sporadic colorectal cancer

Background: Aberrant DNA methylation has been widely investigated in sporadic colorectal carcinomas (CRCs), and extensive work has been performed to characterize different methylation profiles of CRC. Less information is available about the role of epigenetics in hereditary CRC and about the possible clinical use of epigenetic biomarkers in CRC, regardless of the etiopathogenesis. Long interspersed nucleotide element 1 (LINE-1) hypomethylation and gene-specific hypermethylation of 38 promoters were analyzed in multicenter series of 220 CRCs including 71 Lynch (Lynch colorectal cancer with microsatellite instability (LS-MSI)), 23 CRCs of patients under 40 years in which the main inherited CRC syndromes had been excluded (early-onset colorectal cancer with microsatellite stability (EO-MSS)), and 126 sporadic CRCs, comprising 28 cases with microsatellite instability (S-MSI) and 98 that were microsatellite stable (S-MSS). All tumor methylation patterns were integrated with clinicopathological and genetic characteristics, namely chromosomal instability (CIN), TP53 loss, BRAF, and KRAS mutations. Results: LS-MSI mainly showed absence of extensive DNA hypo-and hypermethylation. LINE-1 hypomethylation was observed in a subset of LS-MSI that were associated with the worse prognosis. Genetically, they commonly displayed G:A transition in the KRAS gene and absence of a CIN phenotype and of TP53 loss. S-MSI exhibited a specific epigenetic profile showing low rates of LINE-1 hypomethylation and extensive gene hypermethylation. S-MSI were mainly characterized by MLH1 methylation, BRAF mutation, and absence of a CIN phenotype and of TP53 loss. By contrast, S-MSS showed a high frequency of LINE-1 hypomethylation and of CIN, and they were associated with a worse prognosis. EO-MSS were a genetically and epigenetically heterogeneous group of CRCs. Like LS-MSI, some EO-MSS displayed low rates of DNA hypo-or hypermethylation and frequent G:A transitions in the KRAS gene, suggesting that a genetic syndrome might still be unrevealed in these patients. By contrast, some EO-MSS showed similar features to those observed in S-MSS, such as LINE-1 hypomethylation, CIN, and TP53 deletion. In all four classes, hypermethylation of ESR1, GATA5, and WT1 was very common. Conclusions: Aberrant DNA methylation analysis allows the identification of different subsets of CRCs. This study confirms the potential utility of methylation tests for early detection of CRC and suggests that LINE-1 hypomethylation may be a useful prognostic marker in both sporadic and inherited CRCs

Dysregulation of MS risk genes and pathways at distinct stages of disease

OBJECTIVE: To perform systematic transcriptomic analysis of multiple sclerosis (MS) risk genes in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) of subjects with distinct MS stages and describe the pathways characterized by dysregulated gene expressions. METHODS: We monitored gene expression levels in PBMCs from 3 independent cohorts for a total of 297 cases (including clinically isolated syndromes (CIS), relapsing-remitting MS, primary and secondary progressive MS) and 96 healthy controls by distinct microarray platforms and quantitative PCR. Differential expression and pathway analyses for distinct MS stages were defined and validated by literature mining. RESULTS: Genes located in the vicinity of MS risk variants displayed altered expression in peripheral blood at distinct stages of MS compared with the healthy population. The frequency of dysregulation was significantly higher than expected in CIS and progressive forms of MS. Pathway analysis for each MS stage–specific gene list showed that dysregulated genes contributed to pathogenic processes with scientific evidence in MS. CONCLUSIONS: Systematic gene expression analysis in PBMCs highlighted selective dysregulation of MS susceptibility genes playing a role in novel and well-known pathogenic pathways