A Verbal Anchor based Fuzzy System to help business managers build Balanced Scorecards Strategy Maps

The Balanced Scorecard (BSC) methodology was proposed to help companies create simple strategy plans that can be explained to all employees. The core of this tool is the strategy map that shows a collection of strategic objectives a company needs to achieve its mission. Small and medium companies find it difficult to create their own strategies without the help of a management consultant, which is not always affordable. This paper presents the Mistral Solutions, a system that supports entrepreneurs and their teams to create their own BSC initial strategy maps. The system proposed is based on fuzzy logic. Initially the user takes a online survey about his/her enterprise. During the knowledge acquisition a verbal anchor scale can be used to represent numeric information if the entrepreneur does not know the exact values for each question answer. The Mistral Solutions uses the answers to ground fuzzy rules for creating business strategies in the shape of BSC strategy maps. The system proposes eight strategic objectives, two for each of the four classic BSC perspectives. These strategic objectives are chosen from a set of forty-five possibilities. The knowledge base has one-hundred-eleven variables and one hundred-twenty-six fuzzy rules. This system was applied to institutions representing the public sector, the private sector and a public concession. In the empirical evaluation, the system performed better when applied to private sector institution when all the eight strategic objectives were considered adequate by the manager in charge of the strategic planning of this institution

Artrópodes infestantes de plantas comercializadas em supermercados no Distrito Federal, Brasil

Many Brazilian supermarkets offer ornamental and fruit plants for sale, and many become infested by insects and other arthropods during commercialization. This work reflects the importance of knowing the pests that occur in these plants, to verify possible dissemination of these arthropods to other areas. This study was carried out with monthly visits to five supermarkets chosen at random in the Federal District, Brazil. The plants were identified and visually inspected for the presence of insects and other arthropods. The collected specimens were preserved in jars containing 70% alcohol. Their respective levels of infestation and damage were also observed and noted. Each specimen collected was identified according to specific books and keys for each taxonomic group collected. As a result, 65 plants were found to be infested with insects and mites. Of these, 48 contained sucking insects (Hemiptera) and 17 had spider mites (Tetranychus urticae Koch). Although the insects found are relatively common and have already been reported to be associated with several ornamental plants, this is the first work that records the occurrence of arthropods in ornamentals sold in commercial establishments.Os principais mercados brasileiros oferecem plantas ornamentais e frutíferas para a venda e muitas delas acabam sendo infestadas por insetos e outros artrópodes durante a comercialização. Esse trabalho reflete a importância de se conhecer as pragas que ocorrem nessas plantas, com o propósito de verificar um possível meio de disseminação desses animais para outras áreas. O presente trabalho foi realizado com visitas mensais em cinco supermercados escolhidos de forma aleatória situados no Distrito Federal, Brasil. As plantas foram identificadas e inspecionadas visualmente quanto à presença de insetos e outros artrópodes. Os espécimes coletados foram preservados em potes contendo álcool 70% e seus respectivos níveis de infestação e danos também foram observados e anotados. A identificação de cada exemplar coletado foi feita de acordo com livros e chaves específicas para cada grupo taxonômico encontrado. Como resultado, foram encontradas 65 plantas infestadas com insetos e ácaros. Destas, 48 continham insetos sugadores (Hemiptera) e 17 estavam com ácaro-rajado (Tetranychus urticae Koch). Apesar dos insetos encontrados serem relativamente comuns e já terem sido relatados associados a várias plantas ornamentais, esse é o primeiro trabalho que registra a ocorrência de artrópodes em ornamentais vendidas em estabelecimentos comerciais

ESCALADA DO MODELO HOME OFFICE E PRECARIZAÇÃO DO TRABALHO: REFLEXÃO SOBRE O “BRASIL COVID-19”

O objetivo deste artigo é examinar as condições de trabalho em home office no Brasil, no período da pandemia, portanto, a partir de 2019, com manutenção de políticas ou práticas restritivas, mesmo após o abrandamento da mesma. Para tanto, utilizou-se revisão de literatura sobre a adotação e ampliação do trabalho home office pelas empresas, a pandemia da COVID-19 e os aspectos da precarização do trabalho, fenômeno que foi escalado, advento da referida crise sanitária. Esta breve análise permitiu melhor compreensão de tais relações e rebatimentos, tanto para a falta de condições adequadas para o desempenho de atividades corporativas remotas quanto para o cumprimento de jornada, neste caso, além da contratada e com maior frequência, bem como as consequências impostas por este cenário para a saúde do trabalhador, destaque para ergonomia e psicologia. Percebeu-se a importância, principalmente para a manutenção em escala desta modalidade de trabalho, esforço empresarial no sentido de prover melhores condições para o correto cumprimento do contrato de trabalho, igualmente, avanço no plano de carreira, cargos e salários, observando modelo econômico vigente e suas demandas, atividades, entregas e avaliações de desempenho

Verbal anchor usage on fuzzy systems to help creating initial strategy maps: case study

More than 50% of the Brazilian companies do not survive to its second year due to the lack of a proper business strategy plan. The Balanced Scorecard(BSC) methodology was proposed to help companies create simple strategy plans that can be explained to all employees within all company levels. The core of this methodology is the strategy map that shows a collection of strategic objectives that a company needs to achieve to reach its mission. Small and medium companies find it difficult to create their own strategies without the help of a management consultant, which is not always affordable. We proposed the Mistral Solutions, a system that helps managers to build strategy maps according to the BSC methodology. To easy the numeric knowledge acquisition process, a manager can answer a question using a verbal anchor scale instead of a number. This system is based on fuzzy logic. Fuzzy rules are instantiated from the answers given and indicate the most adequate strategic objectives. This paper presents three study cases based on the use of the Mistral Solutions. The Regional Labor Court of the 10a Region, a company in the civil construction industry, and a Real Estate Registry Office are focused as case of study. The strategy maps proposed by Mistral Solutions were empirically validated by a BSC specialist and by managers in charge of strategic planning of these institutions. These institutions represent the public sector, the private sector, and a public concession. Mistral Solutions selected the eight more appropriate strategic objectives from a set of forty five, two for each classic BSC perspectives. In the empirical evaluation, the system performed better when applied to private sector institutions when all the eight strategic objectives were considered adequate by the manager in charge of strategic planning of this institution

Longitudinal piglet sampling in commercial sow farms highlights the challenge of PRRSV detection

Background: Processing fluids (PF) and family oral fluids (FOF) are population-based surveillance samples collected from 2- to 5-day-old piglets and due-to-wean piglets, respectively. Although they are described for the surveillance of PRRSV in sows and piglet populations at processing and weaning, there is limited information on their use in commercial herds. This observational study described PRRSV RNA detection over time in PF, FOF, and piglet serum collected from farrowing groups in commercial breeding farms with the objective of achieving robust, practical, and effective PRRSV surveillance protocols. Weekly PF (an aggregate sample of all litters processed in a week from each room), and FOF (a convenience sample attempted from at least 20 individual litters in at least one farrowing room each week) samples were collected from six PRRSV-endemic commercial breeding herds for up to 38 weeks. A total of 561 PF room samples, 2400 individual litter FOF samples, and 600 serum samples (120 pools of 5 samples) were collected during the study period and tested for PRRSV RNA. Data were evaluated for patterns of PRRSV RNA detection by specimen within farms over time. Results: In particular, the detection of PRRSV was commonly sporadic over time within farms (weeks of PRRSV RNA negative results followed by one or more weeks of positive results); was often non-uniform within farms (negative and positive farrowing rooms at a given point in time); and PF and FOF testing results agreement was 75 and 80% at week and room level, respectively, demonstrating that both sampling methods could complement each other. Non-uniformity in PRRSV detection in rooms sampled within the same week and detection after ≥11 consecutive weeks of PRRSV negative PF and FOF results underline the challenge of consistently detecting the virus. Conclusions: These results suggest that monitoring protocols for breeding herds attempting PRRSV control or elimination can use both PF and FOF to improve PRRSV detection in suckling pig populations

First association of scale insects (Hemiptera: Diaspididae) with \u3ci\u3eSalacia crassifolia\u3c/i\u3e (Mart. Ex Schult.) G. Don. (Celastraceae)

Salacia crassifolia (Mart. ex Schult.) G.Don., (Celastraceae) is a native species of shrub/tree highly ap­preciated in Brazil for its fruits and medicinal properties. Scale insects have never been reported associated with S. crassifolia; nevertheless, this paper describes the occurrence of two diaspidids on S. crassifolia leaves in Brazil. Three mature trees were inspected in February and March 2018 and scale insect samples were collected and pre­served in 70% alcohol, then mounted and identified under an optical microscope. Two species of scale insects were found associated with this plant, Pseudoparlatoria argentata Hempel and Melanaspis aristotelesi Lepage and Gi­annotti, both from the family Diaspididae (Hemiptera). The three observed trees were infested by the diaspidids, with some leaves completely colonized by both species. This is the first reported occurrence of P. argentata and M. aristotelesi in plants of the Celastraceae family. It is also the first report of these insects in the Distrito Federal, Brazil, expanding the distribution and hosts in native plant species of the Cerrado biome

Study of Gaseous Emissions Derived from the Combustion of Diesel/Beef Tallow Biodiesel Blends

Air pollution is one of the main environmental problems of modern society. The road and transportation segment is a key source of polluting gases worldwide. In its research for transportation’s emission reduction alternatives, the Brazilian government instituted a wide-spread biodiesel, adding 7% (B7) of biodiesel to the diesel used in the country. Therefore, studies such as this must be carried out to guarantee the environmental sustainability of the new matrix of renewable energies, with the useof biofuels, as well as evaluate the gases emitted to for the environment by the combustion of the same ones. This work was detected CO, CO2 and NO gas emissions released into the atmosphere from the combustion of blends diesel/beef tallow biodiesel in a bench-scale engine. Using electrochemical sensors, the of these gases concentration were successfully registered for two modes of operation of the engine diesel, low rotation, 3500 rpm, and high rotation, 7000 rpm. The CO levels in this experiment in low rotation varied between values minimum and maximum range of 866.7 to 1333.3 ppm, and in high rotation, ranging of 666 and 1000 ppm respectively. For the CO2 concentration in low rotation varied between values minimum and maximum range of 2.1 to 2.4%, and high rotation, ranging of 2.2 to 2.5%, and for NO concentrations of the samples for the mode low rotation had a variation of 83 to 109.5 ppm, and for high rotation were 81.7 to 98.7 ppm respectively

First Report of Eutetranychus banksi (McGregor) on Mahogany (Swietenia macrophylla King)

Texas citrus mite, Eutetranychus banksi (McGregor) (Acari: Tetranychidae: Tetranychinae), considered a serious pest of the citrus crop in some countries, is reported for the first time on mahogany seedlings (Swietenia macrophylla King, Meliaceae) in Brazil, causing foliar tanning with chlorotic spots and premature fall of leaves

Large intestine obstruction complicated with perforation: a rare manifestation of Schistosoma mansoni infection

The authors report a case of a 25 year old Brazilian man with a history of crampy abdominal pain in the left iliac fossa for 2 weeks, abdominal distention, mucous diarrhea and anorexia. The patient presented signs of hemodynamic instability and a hard mass palpated in the left iliac fossa presented peritoneal irritation. At laparotomy, fecal peritonitis and a punched-out perforation of the midsigmoid colon were found. A left hemicolectomy was performed with terminal colostomy. Specimen examination revealed a thickened rectosigmoid wall, narrow lumen and multiple mucosal polyps. Microscopically, chronic granulomatous colitis with Schistosoma mansoni eggs confirmed the etiology. To the authors' knowledge, this is the first case of obstruction complicated with perforation due to mansoni schistosomiasis reported in the literature.Os autores relatam o caso de um paciente masculino, de 25 anos, admitido com história de dor em cólica na fossa ilíaca esquerda há duas semanas, distensão abdominal, diarréia mucóide e anorexia. Evoluiu com instabilidade hemodinâmica, uma massa endurecida era palpada na fossa ilíaca esquerda com sinais de irritação peritoneal. Na laparotomia, foram encontrados peritonite fecal e uma perfuração do cólon sigmóide. Realizada hemicolectomia esquerda com colostomia terminal. O exame anátomo-patológico revelou espessamento da parede do cólon com estreitamento de sua luz e múltiplos pólipos na mucosa. O exame histopatológico confirmou a causa da obstrução como colite granulomatosa crônica com ovos viáveis de Schistosoma mansoni. Este é o primeiro caso de obstrução colônica complicada com perfuração causada por esquistossomose mansônica relatado na literatura consultada.Universidade Federal de São Paulo (UNIFESP)Escola Paulista de MedicinaUNIFESP, EPMSciEL