Poder, controle e trabalho na Receita Estadual do Paraná

Resumo: Este trabalho buscou ser uma contribuição a pesquisas críticas no campo da Administração, alinhando-se assim a estudos alternativos à vertente dominante funcionalista-sistêmica. Não se trata de uma crítica (reformista) qualquer, mas de uma crítica à administração enquanto forma de dominação, ou seja, trata-se de uma crítica que remete aos fundamentos teóricos e epistemológicos de uma teoria social específica, a Teoria Crítica. Nesse contexto, foi realizado um estudo de caso em uma organização pública, a Coordenação da Receita do Estado (Receita Estadual), órgão da administração direta do governo estadual paranaense que conta com cerca de mil e duzentos funcionários fiscais. A pesquisa, pautada na matriz teórico-metodológica da Economia Política do Poder (FARIA, 2003e), mesclou técnicas qualitativas (como entrevistas semi-estruturadas e observação livre) e quantitativas (questionário psicossocial) para o processo de coleta de dados, com a primazia daquelas - ou seja, trata-se de uma pesquisa de cunho essencialmente qualitativo - e buscou compreender como se dão as relações entre as formas de controle e o trabalho na organização. O controle foi aqui considerado como o conjunto de ações, por parte da organização, que visam instituir um comportamento uniformizado de seus funcionários, buscando evitar atitudes, ações e pensamentos que possam estremecer as relações de poder estabelecidas. Os resultados apontam para o fato de que a Receita Estadual adota mecanismos repressivos e sutis de controle sobre sua força de trabalho. Em que pese o controle dos funcionários pela organização receber muita ênfase em processos repressivos ou "duros", como o controle físico, normativo e disciplinar, a organização tende, já pelo menos há duas décadas, a implantar mecanismos sutis, principalmente a partir de treinamentos ideológicos e programas de modernização da gestão pública. Em que pese a intricada rede de processos de controle em ação na organização, os quais possuem conteúdos objetivos e subjetivos e se manifestam de forma inter-relacionada, pôde-se perceber que o controle não é total e absoluto: eventuais movimentos de resistência se formam, em diversos graus e situações. Desse modo, pode-se considerar a organização como um palco de lutas contraditórias e dinâmicas, apoiadas na distinção entre chefes e subordinados, entre administradores e administrados, distinção essa que nada mais é que um reflexo imediato da estrutura hierárquica, que por sua vez é o fundamento da dominação burocrática. Palavras-chave: controle, contradição, dominação, resistência, teoria crític

An empirical assessment of the use of an algorithm factory for video delivery operations

Introduction: Video service providers are moving from focusing on Quality of Service (QoS) to Quality of Experience (QoE) in their video networks since the users’ demand for high-quality video content is continually growing. By focusing on QoE, video service providers can provide their subscribers with a more personalized and engaging experience, which can help increase viewer satisfaction and retention. This focus shift requires not only a more sophisticated approach to network management and new tools and technologies to measure and optimize QoE in their networks but also a novel approach to video delivery operations. Methods: This paper describes the components, interactions, and relationships of an algorithm factory for video delivery operation that assures high QoE for video streaming services. The paper also showcases the results of gradually implementing an algorithm factory in the video industry. Using a dataset from 2016 to 2022, we present the case of a European PayTV service provider that achieved improved performance measured by both objective and subjective metrics. Results: The use of an algorithm factory significantly improved the PayTV service provider’s performance. The study found a fivefold increase in the speed of critical incident resolution and a 59% reduction in the number of critical incidents, all while expanding the customer base and maintaining the same level of labor resources. The case also demonstrates a strong positive relation between the productivity measures of the PayTV operator and their survey-based quality ratings. These results underscore the importance of flawless QoS and operational excellence in delivering QoE to meet the evolving demands of viewers. Discussion: The paper adds to the existing literature on relationships between operational efficiency, innovation, and subjective quality. The paper further offers empirical evidence from the PayTV industry. The insights provided are expected to benefit both traditional and over-the-top (OTT) video service providers in their quest to stay ahead in the rapidly evolving video industry. It may also translate to other service providers in similar industries committed to supporting high-quality service delivery.</p

Research of the major methods and clinical outcomes of irrigation in endodontics: a systematic review

Introduction: In the context of endodontic treatment, mainly endodontic irrigation, endodontic therapy promotes the removal of debris from the pulp tissue, seeking cleaning and asepsis against various microorganisms. Objective: Carried out a systematic review of the main methods and clinical outcomes of irrigation in endodontics, presenting information on the effectiveness and biocompatibility on the dentin surface. Methods: The present study followed by a systematic review (PRISMA). The search strategy was performed in the PubMed, Scielo, Cochrane Library, Web of Science and Scopus, and Google Scholar databases. Results and Conclusion: The success of endodontic treatment depends on eradicating microbes (if present) from the root canal system and preventing reinfection. In research comparing the effectiveness of EDTA 17% maleic acid to 7%, and observed a greater effectiveness of maleic acid in removing the smear layer from the apical third of single-adicular human teeth. When compared to maleic acid, 5% of 17% EDTA proved to be equally effective. Irrigation with 70% ethanol showed a significantly higher percentage of clean root canal walls and greater depth of clean dentinal tubules when compared to irrigation with 2.5% sodium hypochlorite and 17% EDTA-T. The volume of irrigants and agitation act to reduce the microhardness of dentin in the root canal. The smallest reduction in hardness was found in the EDTA + NaOCl association, which can be explained by the fact that one substance has the power to neutralize the other. An alternative EDTA (EDTA - T) to the conventional one was studied and showed good results to remove the smear layer and a good antimicrobial action, but showed a greater potential to generate inflammation than conventional 17% EDTA and 10% citric acid. Finally, one study showed that PUI with continuous irrigation and SAF were more effective than EndoVac and the conventional syringe in removing the drug Ca(OH)2 from a standardized artificial groove in the apical part of the root canal

Antioxidant Activity of Plant Extracts from Colombian Coffee-Growing Eco-Region

The present study describes the in vitro antioxidant activity of methanol extracts of 34 plant species collected in the Colombian coffee-growing eco-region belonging to Euphorbiaceae, Piperaceae and Solanaceae families. The antioxidant properties of extracts were evaluated by determining radical scavenging power measured with a DPPH assay. The methanolic extracts of&nbsp; Hyeronimia antioquiensis, Mabea montana, and Alchornea grandis species (Euphorbiaceae), presents EC50 values equal to 0.686, 12.35, and 13.01 µg/mL, respectively, showing high antioxidant potential

Os stakeholders e seu grau de influência no setor ferroviário: um estudo na Ferrovia Tereza Cristina

O tema estratégia organizacional destaca a importância do conhecimento acerca dos stakeholders para as empresas e do atendimento de suas expectativas. Nesse contexto, apresenta-se o presente estudo que teve como objetivo geral identificar os stakeholders da empresa Ferrovia Tereza Cristina (FTC) e as influências que eles exercem sobre ela. A pesquisa realizada foi de campo, em que predominou o enfoque quantitativo, apontando como resultado 23 stakeholders do ambiente externos e três do ambiente interno, o que demonstra que a empresa está voltada para o ambiente externo. Quanto ao grau de influência que estes stakeholders exercem sobre a empresa, destacam-se no ambiente interno os acionistas (stakeholder interno) e no ambiente externo os clientes (transporte de carga) e as mineradoras (stakeholders externos). Quanto à dependência estratégica da empresa sobre os stakeholders, o resultado deste estudo evidenciou que a FTC possui uma forte relação de interdependência com seus stakeholders, ou seja, entre os atores envolvidos nesse cenário (FTC e stakeholders) existe uma dependência mútua na qual a empresa não sobrevive sem os stakeholders e estes não sobrevivem sem a empresa. Por outro lado, a FTC se mostrou dependente dos órgãos governamentais e dos órgãos reguladores Aneel e ANTT. Palavras-chave: Ambiente. Organização. Stakeholders

Chemical composition modulates the adverse effects of particles on the mucociliary epithelium

OBJECTIVE:We compared the adverse effects of two types of real ambient particles; i.e., total suspended particles from an electrostatic precipitator of a steel mill and fine air particles from an urban ambient particulate matter of 2.5 µm, on mucociliary clearance.METHOD:Mucociliary function was quantified by mucociliary transport, ciliary beating frequency and the amount of acid and neutral mucous in epithelial cells through morphometry of frog palate preparations. The palates were immersed in one of the following solutions: total suspended particles (0.1 mg/mL), particulate matter 2.5 µm 0.1 mg/mL (PM0.1) or 3.0 mg/mL (PM3.0) and amphibian Ringer’s solution (control). Particle chemical compositions were determined by X-ray fluorescence and gas chromatography/mass spectrometry.RESULTS:Exposure to total suspended particles and PM3.0 decreased mucociliary transport. Ciliary beating frequency was diminished by total suspended particles at all times during exposure, while particulate matter of 2.5 µm did not elicit changes. Particulate matter of 2.5 µm reduced epithelial mucous and epithelium thickness, while total suspended particles behaved similarly to the control group. Total suspended particles exhibited a predominance of Fe and no organic compounds, while the particulate matter 2.5 µm contained predominant amounts of S, Fe, Si and, to a lesser extent, Cu, Ni, V, Zn and organic compounds.CONCLUSION:Our results showed that different compositions of particles induced different airway epithelial responses, emphasizing that knowledge of their individual characteristics may help to establish policies aimed at controlling air pollution

Aerodynamic model comparison for an X-shaped vertical-axis wind turbine

This article presents a comparison study of different aerodynamic models for an X-shaped vertical-axis wind turbine and offers insight into the 3D aerodynamics of this rotor at fixed pitch offsets. The study compares six different numerical models: a double-multiple streamtube (DMS) model, a 2D actuator cylinder (2DAC) model, an inviscid free vortex wake model (from CACTUS), a free vortex wake model with turbulent vorticity (from QBlade), a blade-resolved unsteady Reynolds-averaged Navier–Stokes (URANS) model, and a lattice Boltzmann method (from PowerFLOW). All models, except URANS and PowerFLOW use the same blade element characteristics other than the number of blade elements. This comparison covers the present rotor configuration for several tip-speed ratios and fixed blade pitch offsets without unsteady corrections, except for the URANS and PowerFLOW which cover a single case. The results show that DMS and 2DAC models are inaccurate – especially at highly loaded conditions, are unable to predict the downwind blade vortex interaction, and do not capture the vertical/axial induction this rotor exhibits. The vortex models are consistent with each other, and the differences when compared against the URANS and PowerFLOW mostly arise due to the unsteady and flow curvature effects. Furthermore, the influence of vertical induction is very prominent for this rotor, and this effect becomes more significant with fixed pitch offsets where the flow at the blade root is considerably altered