Analysis of the Effects of Technological and Organizational Features on Intranet and Portal Usage

The paper’s purpose is to analyze the effects of technological and organizational features on intranet and portal usage. Technological features comprise common intranet functions such as collaboration, search engine, personalization, workflow and content management. Intranet organizational features were associated with intranet support team’s profile, existence of specific budget for the intranet project and relationship with users. The research model was based on TAM, TTF and on several checklists from intranet literature. A survey was conducted with intranet managers from 98 Brazilian and 70 Portuguese organizations. Factor analysis revealed intranet integration features as a separate construct from technological features. The results showed that many analyzed intranets were at the basic stages. There was evidence that intranet integration and organizational features had more impact on intranet quality and usage than technological features

The Lontras Shale (Permian, Paraná Basin) and its Fossils: Discovery, Taxonomic Identification and Present Knowledge

The Shaler Memorial Fund created in 1907 by students and admirers of the geologist Nathaniel Southgate Shaler, professor from Harvard University, allowed in its first contribution to fostering research, the organization of an expedition to the South and Southeast of Brazil. The expedition had the purpose to confirm Nathaniel`s ideas about the existence of glacial layers older then the Pleistocene. Led by the North American geologist Jay Backus Woodworthy and counting with participation of the Brazilian geologist Euzébio de Oliveira, the expedition not only proved the presence of glacial evidence but also discovered an intercalated fossiliferous marine shale, later known as Lontras Shale, Itararé Group. The fossils, initially studied by the American paleontologist Rudolf Ruedemann and by Euzébio de Oliveira, had its studies intensified from the 1980s with the identification of new outcrops and due the new data of the geological evolution of the carboniferous and permian sedimentary sucessions of the Paraná Basin. Economic disputes and discussion about the preservation of Lontras Shale outcrops, besides the discovered of new site namely as CAMPÁLEO, have reactivated the scientific interest about this unit and its paleontological content, increasing its studies. Poorly known by the Brazilian academic community, the historical context of the Lontras Shale is here reported, highlighting the importance of the Shale Memorial Fund as responsible for the geological and paleontological discoveries that have followed, for more than a century

The cost of type 1 diabetes: a nationwide multicentre study in Brazil

Objective To determine the direct medical costs of type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM) to the National Brazilian Health-Care System (NBHCS) and quantify the contribution of each individual component to the total cost.Methods A retrospective, cross-sectional, nationwide multicentre study was conducted between 2008 and 2010 in 28 public clinics in 20 Brazilian cities. the study included 3180 patients with T1DM (mean age 22 year's +/- 11.8) who were surveyed while receiving health care from the NBHCS. the mean duration of their diabetes was 10.3 years (+/- 8.0). the costs of tests and medical procedures, insulin pumps, and supplies for administration, and supplies for self-monitoring of blood glucose (SMBG) were obtained from national and local health system sources for 2010-2011. Annual direct medical costs were derived by adding the costs of medications, supplies, tests, medical consultations, procedures and hospitalizations over the year preceding the interview.Findings the average annual direct medical cost per capita was 1319.15 United States dollars (US$). Treatment-related expenditure - US$ 1216.33 per patient per year represented 92.20% of total direct medical costs. Insulin administration supplies and SMBG (US$696.78 per patient per year) accounted for 52.82$ 75.64 per patient per year) of direct medical costs. Consultations accounted for 1.94% of direct medical costs (US$ 25.62 per patient per year).Conclusion Health technologies accounted for most direct medical costs of T1DM. These data can serve to reassess the distribution of resources for managing T1DM in Brazil's public health-care system.Farmanguinhos/Fundacao Oswaldo Cruz/National Health MinistryBrazilian Diabetes SocietyFundacao do Amparo a Pesquisa do Estado do Rio de JaneiroConselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)State Univ Hosp Rio de Janeiro, BR-20551030 Rio de Janeiro, BrazilUniversidade Federal de São Paulo, São Paulo, BrazilBauru Diabet Assoc, Bauru, BrazilJoinville Endocrinol & Diabet Inst, Joinville, BrazilUniversidade Federal de São Paulo, São Paulo, BrazilWeb of Scienc

Comparison of Fetal Nuchal Fold Thickness Measurements by Two- and Three-Dimensional Ultrasonography (3DXI Multislice View)

Purpose. To compare the measurements of fetal nuchal fold (NF) thickness by two-dimensional (2D) and three-dimensional (3D) ultrasonography using the three-dimensional extended imaging (3DXI). Methods. A cross-sectional study was performed with 60 healthy pregnant women with a gestational age between 16 and 20 weeks and 6 days. The 2D-NF measurements were made as the distance from the outer skull bone to the outer skin surface in the transverse axial image in the suboccipital-bregmatic plane of the head. For the 3D we employed the 3DXI multislice view software, in which 3 × 2 tomographic planes was displayed on the screen and the distance between the tomographic slices was 0.5 mm. Maximum, minimum, mean, and standard deviation were calculated for 2D and 3D ultrasonography, as well the maximum and minimum, mean, and standard deviation for the difference between both methods. The Wilcoxon signed-rank test was used to compare the two different techniques. Results. 2D-NF showed a mean of thickness of 3.52 ± 0.95 mm (1.69–7.14). The mean of 3D-NF was 3.90 ± 1.02 mm (2.13–7.72). The mean difference between the methods was 0.38 mm, with a maximum difference of 3.12 mm. Conclusion. The NF thickness measurements obtained by 3D ultrasonography were significantly larger than those detected with 2D ultrasonography

Supplier development practices and their challenges: a roadmap proposal / Práticas de desenvolvimento de fornecedores e seus desafios: proposta de um roadmap

Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs), when focusing on their core business, outsource non-essential processes to their supplier base, a strategy that makes them dependent on their suppliers’ performance. The purpose of this paper is to propose a practical roadmap based on the post-relevant supplier development practices, barriers to be avoided by the managers, and critical success factors identified by the literature reviewed and in five Brazilian companies in the automotive segment. Although supplier development (SD) is widely acknowledged, there is no roadmap to guide the organizational managers when applying it. The roadmap aims to direct managers' activities when developing their suppliers to obtain better results. The method used was a qualitative research and its strategy was a multiple case study with an exploratory character. Data collection was obtained through a semi-structured interview. The research identified 17 relevant practices of supplier development. These practices of supplier development identified by the literature reviewed, coupled with the manager's speech, have enabled the researcher to figure out an empirical roadmap to assist organizational managers in planning and conducting development actions on their supplier base in a structured manner. The results obtained by the managers' speech indicated that OEMs want creative and innovative solutions from their suppliers to be applied to the new generations of their vehicles, far beyond the products or services usually delivered until now. Another important result for the successful supplier development was the top team’s commitment to implement the changes resulting from development practices combined with a preventive rather than corrective posture