Physical Properties of Quantum Field Theory Measures

Well known methods of measure theory on infinite dimensional spaces are used to study physical properties of measures relevant to quantum field theory. The difference of typical configurations of free massive scalar field theories with different masses is studied. We apply the same methods to study the Ashtekar-Lewandowski (AL) measure on spaces of connections. We prove that the diffeomorphism group acts ergodically, with respect to the AL measure, on the Ashtekar-Isham space of quantum connections modulo gauge transformations. We also prove that a typical, with respect to the AL measure, quantum connection restricted to a (piecewise analytic) curve leads to a parallel transport discontinuous at every point of the curve.Comment: 24 pages, LaTeX, added proof for section 4.2, added reference

What determines immigrant caregivers' adherence to health recommendations from child primary care services?

Aim To investigate the diversity and specificity of the determinants of immigrant caregivers' adherence to child primary care (CPC) health recommendations.Background Immigrant caregiver's adherence to CPC health recommendations is of utmost importance to minimize their children's health-related vulnerabilities. Some research has been conducted on the determinants of immigrants' access to health services, but much less is known about the determinants of their adherence to health professionals' recommendations once they get there, especially in a primary health care context. This study contributes to bridge these gaps.Methods Interviews and focus groups were conducted, with immigrant and non-immigrant caregivers living in Portugal (n=35), from heterogeneous socioeconomic backgrounds. Focus group and individual interview scripts were developed to explore caregivers' understanding and use of CPC services and, particularly, their adherence to CPC recommendations. A socio-demographic questionnaire was also administered. Qualitative data were analyzed using a grounded theory methodology.Findings 'Adherence to CPC health recommendations' is a core and multidimensional concept. Several determinants were identified at individual, interpersonal, organizational and structural levels. Some determinants were highlighted both by immigrant and non-immigrant caregivers: Valuing children's health, usefulness of recommendations, perceived health-care professionals' competence, central role of vaccination in CPC and caregivers' socio-economic conditions. Other determinants were specifically mentioned by immigrant caregivers: Expectations about traditional versus pharmacological treatments, cultural mismatches in children's care practices, perceived quality of Portuguese CPC services versus CPC from countries of origin. These results provide innovative theoretical and empirical contributions to the field of primary health care and, particularly, to immigrant caregivers' adherence behaviors. Implications for research on treatment adherence in primary care contexts, the development of interventions that promote caregivers' adherence to CPC health recommendations and for child protection will be discussed.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Ethnic minorities’ and immigrants’ therapeutic (non)adherence: what is the role of social and cultural contexts?

Immigrants and ethnic minorities have been identified as vulnerable groups in health, in general, and in what concerns therapeutic non-adherence (TA) in particular; i.e., (not)following health-care providers’ therapeutic recommendations. The general aim of this paper is presenting a literature review of immigrants’/ethnic minorities’ TA determinants. We will start by highlighting the reasons as to why immigrants’/ethnic minorities’ therapeutic (non)adherence should be a topic of concern. Then, we will present a review of the main determinants of immigrants’/ethnic minorities’TA, at different levels of analysis (e.g., broad structural level; social and community networks; material and social conditions) and emphasize that non-adherence among immigrants/ethnic minorities is mostly non-intentional, seeing as how it is associated with issues such as: low socio-economic conditions, language barriers and cultural mismatches. Finally, we will highlight the role of health-care providers in tackling this health-related problem and reflect about the importance of promoting development and training of health-care providers’ multicultural abilities. Os imigrantes e as minorias étnicas têm sido identificados como grupos vulneráveis na área da saúde, em geral, e no que diz respeito à (não)adesão terapêutica, em particular, i.e., (não)seguimento das recomendações dos profissionais de saúde. O objetivo geral deste artigo é o de apresentar uma revisão de literatura sobre os determinantes da (não)adesão terapêutica de imigrantes e minorias étnicas. Inicialmente, destacar-se-ão os motivos pelos quais a (não)adesão terapêutica de imigrantes/minorias étnicas poderá ser considerada como um tema relevante. Seguidamente, apresentar-se-á uma revisão sobre os principais determinantes da (não)adesão de imigrantes/minorias étnicas, em diferentes níveis de análise (e.g., estrutural; redes sociais e comunitárias; condições materiais e sociais) e destacar-se-á que a não-adesão entre os imigrantes/minorias étnicas é sobretudo não-intencional, por se encontrar associada a questões como: condições socioeconómicas desfavoráveis, barreiras linguísticas, desen contros culturais. Finalmente, salientar-se-á o papel dos profissionais de saúde na resolução deste problema relacionado com a saúde e reflectir-se-á sobre a importância de promover o desenvolvimento e a formação de competências multiculturais por estes profissionais

Communication in organizations and 360-degree evaluation: what is the relationship between the two concepts?

The performance appraisal has a very important role in the strategic objectives of the organization, because it contributes to its efficacy (Aguinis, 2007). However, some limitations of top-down performance appraisal like the subjectivity have been proposed other evaluations, like 360-degree evaluation (Kondrasuk, 2012). This is a specific evaluation that considers more than one appraiser (Brutus & Gorriti, 2005). The purpose of this research is to know if the application of 360-degree evaluation influences organizational communication. We conducted a qualitative exploratory study through the interviews with experts. The results that will be presented are still preliminary and have theoretical and practical applications. In general, we conclude that 360-degree evaluation could be advantageous for organizational communication (e.g. active voice of employees; symmetrical and bi-directional communication).info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Assessing caregivers’ adherence to child primary care recommendations: development and validation of a scale

Introduction: Caregivers’ adherence to Child Primary Care (CPC) health recommendations is particularly relevant for the protection of children’s health and promotion of their optimal development. Nevertheless, there are currently no measures to assess it, as the majority of measures are focused on pharmacological treatment adherence instead of adherence to preventive health recommendations. Thus, this paper describes the development and validation of a new instrument to assess caregivers’ adherence to CPC health recommendations regarding children aged between 2 years and 6 years old, which would also be sensitive to the specificities of caregivers in more vulnerable conditions—the CPC-Adherence Scale. Methods: Six hundred sixty-two parents (93.4% women; 6.6% immigrant), living in Portugal and with children aged between 2 years and 6 years, participated in a cross-sectional study using a paper or electronic protocol. The protocol was composed by: (1) the CPC-Adherence Scale; (2) questions regarding experiences in CPC; (3) the European Task Force on Patient Evaluation of General Practice Care (EUROPEP); (4) socio-demographic information. Results: The exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses supported a 2-factor solution: (1) Adherence to a safe psychomotor development (n = 14 items; Cronbach’s Alpha = 0.894); (2) Adherence to nutritional counseling (n = 6 items; Cronbach’s Alpha = 0.608). The CPC-Adherence Scale showed good content and criterion-related validity. It discriminated levels of adherence of caregivers with different levels of knowledge about CPC recommendations, satisfaction with care and different socio-economic and immigrant t status. Discussion: The CPC-Adherence Scale is an innovative and promising measure that may play a relevant role on future research and intervention for the promotion of adherence behaviors in a primary prevention context.info:eu-repo/semantics/acceptedVersio

An updated annotated bibliography on arc routing problems

The number of arc routing publications has increased significantly in the last decade. Such an increase justifies a second annotated bibliography, a sequel to Corberán and Prins (Networks 56 (2010), 50–69), discussing arc routing studies from 2010 onwards. These studies are grouped into three main sections: single vehicle problems, multiple vehicle problems and applications. Each main section catalogs problems according to their specifics. Section 2 is therefore composed of four subsections, namely: the Chinese Postman Problem, the Rural Postman Problem, the General Routing Problem (GRP) and Arc Routing Problems (ARPs) with profits. Section 3, devoted to the multiple vehicle case, begins with three subsections on the Capacitated Arc Routing Problem (CARP) and then delves into several variants of multiple ARPs, ending with GRPs and problems with profits. Section 4 is devoted to applications, including distribution and collection routes, outdoor activities, post-disaster operations, road cleaning and marking. As new applications emerge and existing applications continue to be used and adapted, the future of arc routing research looks promising.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Os habitats do jacaré-paguá no entorno do Pantanal.

bitstream/CPAP/55904/1/ADM112.pdfDisponível também em: internel, jornal o Estado de Mato Grosso do Sul, portalbonito, agrolink, zoonews, campogrande.news, opantaneiro, riosvivos, navirai.news, boletimpecuario, famasul, bbcnews, perfilnews, agronoticias, midiamaxnews, agrosoft, douradosinforma, cassilandianews, matogrossoonline, corumbaonline, capitaldopantanal, criareplantar, clickpantanal, estadomsnews, bonitonoticias, agenciapantanal, folhadedourados, aquidauananews, portalms, agorams, douradosagora, baixadanews, unifolha, infobibos, agronline, folhadoms, msnoticias, diarioms, portaldoagronegocio, maracajunews, interiornews, corumbanet, reporterms, folhadedourados, ultimahora, douradosnews

Marketing and communication strategy: Improving the customer experience and loyalty of a Portuguese energy company

Atualmente, a questão da fidelização de clientes tem sido considerada como uma área de elevada importância em vários segmentos de negócio. No caso do Mercado Liberalizado de Energia (MLE) essa importância assume especial relevo, sobretudo se refletirmos sobre a forte competitividade do setor. Assim, o principal objetivo deste estudo é melhorar a fidelização e a experiência de clientes de uma Empresa de Energia portuguesa. Mais especificamente, pretendemos: adotar estilos de comunicação mais eficazes com clientes da empresa em questão, atuando ao nível da promoção de estratégias identitárias; promover uma relação de confiança crescente entre clientes e empresa; desenvolver estratégias de marketing e de comunicação adaptadas a clusters/“perfis- tipo de clientes”; fomentar a notoriedade da marca, através de estratégias de recordação recorrente da mesma junto do cliente. As ações propostas pretendem, então, dar resposta aos objetivos específicos apresentados, direcionando-se, particularmente para os clientes domésticos da empresa em estudo. Realizou-se, então, um estudo qualitativo exploratório através da concretização de 8 entrevistas semi-estruturadas, a clientes domésticos da empresa. A análise de conteúdo destas entrevistas possibilitou a definição de elementos da empresa percecionados como negativos, pelos clientes (e.g. dificuldades com os pontos de contacto da empresa; pouca proximidade relacional da empresa com os clientes) e de propostas de estratégias/ações de melhoria (e.g. benefícios/incentivos para clientes com determinadas características; melhorar o atendimento no Call Center; aumentar a capacitação dos clientes). Estes resultados tornam-se relevantes para avaliar as necessidades dos clientes da empresa em estudo, fomentando o planeamento de ações específicas de melhoria da sua estratégia de Marketing e de Comunicação.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio