514 research outputs found

    FACTORES QUE INFLUYEN EN LA SATISFACCIÓN LABORAL DE LOS EMPLEADOS DE LA EMPRESA ADARA S.A.

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    El estudio se enfocó en determinar el nivel de satisfacción y los factores que intervienen en la misma, para los empleados de la Empresa ADARA, S.A. Se aplicó una encuesta de manera aleatoria a 400 empleados de las diferentes áreas de la compañía. Entre los resultados se destaca el nivel de satisfacción de los empleados de la empresa del 89%, lo cual indica que la mayor parte de los empleados tiene un alto nivel de satisfacción trabajando para la compañía. También se logró determinar que el factor considerado como el más importante para los empleados a la hora de medir la satisfacción es el disfrutar su trabajo, representando el 46.25%. No obstante, se recomienda a la empresa no descuidar este aspecto tan importante

    Local Optimal Sets and Bounded Archiving on Multi-objective NK-Landscapes with Correlated Objectives

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    The properties of local optimal solutions in multi-objective combinatorial optimization problems are crucial for the effectiveness of local search algorithms, particularly when these algorithms are based on Pareto dominance. Such local search algorithms typically return a set of mutually nondominated Pareto local optimal (PLO) solutions, that is, a PLO-set. This paper investigates two aspects of PLO-sets by means of experiments with Pareto local search (PLS). First, we examine the impact of several problem characteristics on the properties of PLO-sets for multi-objective NK-landscapes with correlated objectives. In particular, we report that either increasing the number of objectives or decreasing the correlation between objectives leads to an exponential increment on the size of PLO-sets, whereas the variable correlation has only a minor effect. Second, we study the running time and the quality reached when using bounding archiving methods to limit the size of the archive handled by PLS, and thus, the maximum size of the PLO-set found. We argue that there is a clear relationship between the running time of PLS and the difficulty of a problem instance.Comment: appears in Parallel Problem Solving from Nature - PPSN XIII, Ljubljana : Slovenia (2014

    Local Optimal Sets and Bounded Archiving on Multi-objective NK-Landscapes with Correlated Objectives

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    The properties of local optimal solutions in multi-objective combinatorial optimization problems are crucial for the effectiveness of local search algorithms, particularly when these algorithms are based on Pareto dominance. Such local search algorithms typically return a set of mutually nondominated Pareto local optimal (PLO) solutions, that is, a PLO-set. This paper investigates two aspects of PLO-sets by means of experiments with Pareto local search (PLS). First, we examine the impact of several problem characteristics on the properties of PLO-sets for multi-objective NK-landscapes with correlated objectives. In particular, we report that either increasing the number of objectives or decreasing the correlation between objectives leads to an exponential increment on the size of PLO-sets, whereas the variable correlation has only a minor effect. Second, we study the running time and the quality reached when using bounding archiving methods to limit the size of the archive handled by PLS, and thus, the maximum size of the PLO-set found. We argue that there is a clear relationship between the running time of PLS and the difficulty of a problem instance.Comment: appears in Parallel Problem Solving from Nature - PPSN XIII, Ljubljana : Slovenia (2014

    Effects of dietary beef tallow on performance, rumen fermentation, carcass traits and meat quality of growing lambs

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    Growing lambs were evaluated for the effect of increasing dietary levels of beef tallow (BT) on performance, rumen fermentation, and carcass and meat characteristics. Twenty-one 5-month-old male Rambouillet lambs were assigned randomly to one of three diets with 0, 20, and 40 g BT/kg dry matter (DM) and similar energy and protein contents. Lambs were adapted to the diets for 15 days, followed by a 45-day evaluation trial. Data were analysed using a mixed model. Growth, feed intake and ruminal fermentation were not affected by the dietary level of BT. Daily metabolizable energy intake (MEI), carcass yield and degree of fatness, increased linearly as the BT level increased. Carcass classification and muscle conformation were not affected by BT. Most meat characteristics (texture, pH, myoglobin, protein content, colour, cathepsins, and chemical composition) five and eight days post-mortem were not affected, except for fat content in meat, which increased linearly as diet BT level increased. Fatty acid (FA) profiles of the meat from lambs fed the three diets were similar. In conclusion, addition of BT at 20 and 40 g/kg DM to diets for growing lambs allowed reduced grain usage and increased forage levels (from 0 to 270 g/kg DM), increasing energy intake, carcass yield and fatness, and intramuscular fat without causing harmful effects on growth, feed intake or ruminal fermentation characteristics. Keywords: dietary fat, fatty acids, meat colour, shee

    Excess tuberculosis risk during and following incarceration in Paraguay : a retrospective cohort study

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    Corresponding author. Cátedra de Salud Pública, Universidad Nacional de Asunción (UNA), Paraguay. E-mail address: [email protected] (G. Sequera).Background. The increased risk of tuberculosis (TB) among people deprived of liberty (PDL) is due to individual and institution-level factors. We followed a cohort of PDL from 5 prisons in Paraguay to describe the risk of TB during incarceration and after they were released. Methods. We linked a 2013 national census of prisons with TB records from the TB Program from 2010 to 2021 to identify TB notifications among incarcerated and formerly incarcerated individuals. We used multivariable Cox regression models to quantify the risk of TB during and following incarceration and to identify risk factors associated with TB. Findings. Among 2996 individuals incarcerated, 451 (15.1%) were diagnosed with TB. Of these, 262 (58.1%) cases occurred during incarceration and 189 (41.9%) occurred in the community after release. In prison, the hazard ratio of developing TB was 1.97 (95% CI: 1.52–2.61) after six months of incarceration and increased to 2.78 (95% CI: 1.82–4.24) after 36 months compared with the first six months. The overall TB notification rate was 2940 per 100,000 person-years. This rate increased with the duration of incarceration from 1335 per 100,000 person-years in the first year to 8455 per 100,000 person-years after 8 years. Among former prisoners, the rate of TB decreased from 1717 in the first year after release to 593 per 100 000 person-years after 8 years of follow up. Interpretation. Our study shows the alarming risk of TB associated with prison environments in Paraguay, and how this risk persists for years following incarceration. Effective TB control measures to protect the health of people during and following incarceration are urgently needed.Consejo Nacional de Ciencia y TecnologíaPrograma Paraguayo para el Desarrollo de la Ciencia y Tecnología. Proyectos de investigación y desarroll

    Technical Efficiency of Dairy Farms in Sierra Andina Using Neural Network Modeling

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    The aim of this paper was to estimate the efficiency of milk production of 1 168 cases in Ecuadoran Sierra Sur Andina, with the implementation of a neural network model with multilayer perceptrons. These cases were collected from secondary samples provided by the Official Institute of National Statistics of Ecuador, in 2016. The variables chosen for the model were total milk production on the previous day (P), as dependent variable, and total cattle heads (CH), total laborers in the field (E), and total area attended by laborer (S), as independent variables. The data from individual cases and their impact on the dependent variable were used as the variable selection criteria. The average efficiency was 8.11%, from which the total efficient cases detected (>0.70) were 11 (0.9% of the sample). Later, the cases studied were classified into three groups, depending on the estimated efficiency: Group 1 (≤ 0.4 efficiency); Group 2 (>0.4-≤0.7 efficiency); and Group 3 (>0.7 efficiency). A comparison produced several statistical differences (P<0.01) for variables total milk production/year on the farm, total field laborers, farm size, total cows, total cattle heads, calvings, pregnant cows, and served cows.The aim of this paper was to estimate the efficiency of milk production of 1 168 cases in Ecuadoran Sierra Sur Andina, with the implementation of a neural network model with multilayer perceptrons. These cases were collected from secondary samples provided by the Official Institute of National Statistics of Ecuador, in 2016. The variables chosen for the model were total milk production on the previous day (P), as dependent variable, and total cattle heads (CH), total laborers in the field (E), and total area attended by laborer (S), as independent variables. The data from individual cases and their impact on the dependent variable were used as the variable selection criteria. The average efficiency was 8.11%, from which the total efficient cases detected (>0.70) were 11 (0.9% of the sample). Later, the cases studied were classified into three groups, depending on the estimated efficiency: Group 1 (≤ 0.4 efficiency); Group 2 (>0.4-≤0.7 efficiency); and Group 3 (>0.7 efficiency). A comparison produced several statistical differences (P<0.01) for variables total milk production/year on the farm, total field laborers, farm size, total cows, total cattle heads, calvings, pregnant cows, and served cows

    Ingested insecticide to control Aedes aegypti : developing a novel dried attractive toxic sugar bait device for intra-domiciliary control

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    Laboratory work was Funded by Pontificia Universidad Católica del Ecuadorʼs Internal Research Grant L13234, awarded to MN. Semi-field work was funded by a seed grant from the Syracuse University, awarded to DL.Background: Illnesses transmitted by Aedes aegypti (Linnaeus, 1762) such as dengue, chikungunya and Zika comprise a considerable global burden; mosquito control is the primary public health tool to reduce disease transmission. Current interventions are inadequate and insecticide resistance threatens the effectiveness of these options. Dried attractive bait stations (DABS) are a novel mechanism to deliver insecticide to Ae. aegypti. The DABS are a high-contrast 28 inch2 surface coated with dried sugar-boric acid solution. Aedes aegypti are attracted to DABS by visual cues only, and the dried sugar solution elicits an ingestion response from Ae. aegypti landing on the surface. The study presents the development of the DABS and tests of their impact on Ae. aegypti mortality in the laboratory and a series of semi-field trials. Methods: We conducted multiple series of laboratory and semi-field trials to assess the survivability of Ae. aegypti mosquitoes exposed to the DABS. In the laboratory experiments, we assessed the lethality, the killing mechanism, and the shelf life of the device through controlled experiments. In the semi-field trials, we released laboratory-reared female Ae. aegypti into experimental houses typical of peri-urban tropical communities in South America in three trial series with six replicates each. Laboratory experiments were conducted in Quito, Ecuador, and semi-field experiments were conducted in Machala, Ecuador, an area with abundant wild populations of Ae. aegypti and endemic arboviral transmission. Results: In the laboratory, complete lethality was observed after 48 hours regardless of physiological status of the mosquito. The killing mechanism was determined to be through ingestion, as the boric acid disrupted the gut of the mosquito. In experimental houses, total mosquito mortality was greater in the treatment house for all series of experiments (P < 0.0001). Conclusions: The DABS devices were effective at killing female Ae. aegypti under a variety of laboratory and semi-field conditions. DABS are a promising intervention for interdomiciliary control of Ae. aegypti and arboviral disease prevention.Publisher PDFPeer reviewe

    Contribución del anillamiento al conocimiento y conservación de las aves en España: pasado, presente y futuro

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    El anillamiento científico de aves es una técnica de estudio con más de un siglo de historia que, probablemente, ha contribuido como ninguna otra metodología al conocimiento de la biología de este grupo faunístico. A pesar del desarrollo de nuevas tecnologías, el marcaje individual de aves mediante anillamiento sigue siendo una técnica plenamente vigente y necesaria. Aunque la evidencia científica sobre los beneficios de la aplicación del anillamiento en la Ornitología moderna es abrumadora, hoy vivimos un proceso de creciente desinformación que cuestiona el anillamiento de aves y su utilidad. Este dosier se ha elaborado con el fin de ofrecer una visión actualizada de la utilidad del anillamiento científico de aves en España. Ha sido elaborado por un nutrido grupo de expertos asociados a universidades y centros de investigación que abarcan buena parte de las áreas del conocimiento implicadas en el estudio y conservación de las aves. El dosier se divide en cuatro grandes apartados. (1) En primer lugar se hace una introducción sobre el anillamiento como metodología y se resumen las grandes cifras del anillamiento en España donde, hasta la fecha, se han anillado algo más de 10.000.000 de aves y se han registrado 700.000 recuperaciones (en la actualidad se anillan unas 380.000 aves y se obtienen unas 30.000 recuperaciones anualmente). (2) En un segundo bloque se resume la aplicación del anillamiento en diferentes aproximaciones al estudio científico de las aves, que van apoyadas por numerosas referencias bibliográficas sobre trabajos llevados a cabo en España. Gracias al anillamiento se han podido abordar múltiples estudios sobre movimientos y migraciones, reproducción, demografía, enfermedades, morfología, muda e identificación y taxonomía. (3) Un tercer bloque se centra en la utilidad del anillamiento más allá de la investigación básica. Es el caso de la conservación, la gestión de especies cinegéticas y el estudio de los impactos del cambio global sobre las aves, por un lado, y la educación ambiental, formación y ciencia ciudadana, por otro. (4) Finalmente, se abordan algunas ideas sobre los retos actuales y perspectivas de futuro del anillamiento en España

    Penicillin susceptibility among invasive MSSA infections: a multicentre study in 16 Spanish hospitals

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    Objectives: To determine the prevalence of penicillin susceptibility among MSSA causing bloodstream infections (BSIs) in 16 Spanish hospitals and to characterize the penicillin-susceptible MSSA (MSSA-PENS) isolates. Methods: A total of 1011 Staphylococcus aureus isolates were collected from blood cultures in 16 Spanish hospitals during 2018–19 (6–12 months) and their susceptibility to 18 antimicrobials was determined. The MSSA-PENS isolates were selected and examined by PCR to determine the presence of the blaZ gene, other resistance genes and the genes lukF/lukS-PV, eta, etb and tst. The immune evasion cluster (IEC) type was also analysed. All the MSSA-PENS isolates were submitted to S. aureus protein A (spa) typing and the clonal complexes (CCs) were assigned according to their spa type. Results: The prevalence of MSSA was 74.6% (754/1011) and 14.9% (151/1011) were MSSA-PENS-blaZnegative. MSSA-PENS-blaZnegative isolates (n = 151) were ascribed to 88 spa types and 11 CCs. The most frequent CCs were CC5 (35/151) and CC398 (25/151), with t002-CC5 and t571-CC398 being the most common lineages. Pan-susceptibility was identified in 117 of the 151 MSSA-PENS-blaZnegative isolates (77.5%). In the remaining isolates, erythromycin and clindamycin resistance was the most frequent resistance found, although tobramycin, ciprofloxacin, fusidic acid, mupirocin and/or tetracycline resistance was also detected. Thirty-eight MSSA-PENS-blaZnegative isolates were IEC negative and four isolates were Panton–Valentine leucocidin (‘PVL’) positive. Conclusions: A high penicillin susceptibility rate was detected among MSSA, opening therapeutic opportunities for BSIs. The emergence of new successful MSSA-PENS clones could be responsible for these data. The detection among MSSA-PENS-blaZnegative isolates of the clonal lineage CC398 or the absence of an IEC raises questions about their possible animal origin, requiring further analysis

    Prevalence and genetic characteristics of Staphylococcus aureus CC398 isolates from invasive infections in spanish hospitals, focusing on the livestock-independent CC398-MSSA clade

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    Background: Livestock-associated (LA)-CC398-MRSA is closely related to pigs, being unfrequently detected in human invasive infections. CC398-MSSA is emerging in human invasive infections in some countries, but genetic and epidemiological characteristics are still scarcely reported. Objectives: To determine the prevalence of Staphylococcus aureus (SA) CC398, both MRSA and MSSA, among blood cultures SA isolates recovered in Spanish hospitals located in regions with different pig-farming densities (PD) and characterize the recovered isolates. Methods: One thousand twenty-two SA isolates (761 MSSA, 261 MRSA) recovered from blood cultures during 6–12 months in 17 Spanish hospitals (2018–2019) were studied. CC398 lineage identification, detection of spa-types, and antibiotic resistance, virulence and human immune evasion cluster (IEC) genes were analyzed by PCR/sequencing. Results: Forty-four CC398-MSSA isolates (4.3% of SA; 5.8% of MSSA) and 10 CC398-MRSA isolates (1% of SA; 3.8% of MRSA) were detected. Eleven spa-types were found among the CC398-MSSA isolates with t571 and t1451 the most frequent spa-types detected (75%). Most of CC398-MSSA isolates were Immune-Evasion-Cluster (IEC)-positive (88.6%), tetracycline-susceptible (95.5%) and erythromycin/clindamycin–inducible-resistant/erm(T)-positive (75%). No statistical significance was detected when the CC398-MSSA/MSSA rate was correlated to PD (pigs/km2) (p = 0.108). On the contrary, CC398-MRSA isolates were all IEC-negative, predominately spa-t011 (70%), and the CC398-MRSA/MRSA rate was significantly associated to PD (p < 0.005). Conclusion: CC398-MSSA is an emerging clade in invasive infections in Spanish hospitals. CC398-MRSA (mostly t011) and CC398-MSSA (mostly t571 and t1451) show important differences, possibly suggesting divergent steps in host-adaptation evolutionary processes. While CC398-MRSA is livestock-associated (lacking IEC-system), CC398-MSSA seems to be mostly livestock-independent, carrying human-adaptation markers.
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