A constructivist model of bank branch front-office employee evaluation: an FCM-SD-based approach

The banking sector is one of the primary drivers of economic development. This sector has been affected by various crises throughout its history – most recently, the 2008 financial and economic crisis. In response, banking institutions have had to make diverse changes to their procedures and deal with new concerns related to changes within markets. One of the main recent developments in this sector is the new commercial function assigned to bank branch front-office employees, who have become responsible for selling financial products and services, as well as recruiting and retaining clients. As a result, the sector needs new employee performance evaluation methods in line with banks and staff members’ requirements. This study combined fuzzy cognitive mapping techniques and the system dynamics (SD) approach to develop a well-informed performance analysis system for assessing bank branch front-office employees. The proposed system was validated by the Business Process Management Competence Center director at Millennium BCP – a Portuguese private banking corporation. The main difference between the model constructed in the present research and current evaluation practices is that the criteria were collected directly from multiple specialists working at different commercial banks, who deal daily with this decision problem. The model’s theoretical and practical implications are also discussed.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

A constructivist model of bank branch front-office employee evaluation: an FCM-SD-based approach

The banking sector is one of the primary drivers of economic development. This sector has been affected by various crises throughout its history – most recently, the 2008 financial and economic crisis. In response, banking institutions have had to make diverse changes to their procedures and deal with new concerns related to changes within markets. One of the main recent developments in this sector is the new commercial function assigned to bank branch front-office employees, who have become responsible for selling financial products and services, as well as recruiting and retaining clients. As a result, the sector needs new employee performance evaluation methods in line with banks and staff members’ requirements. This study combined fuzzy cognitive mapping techniques and the system dynamics (SD) approach to develop a well-informed performance analysis system for assessing bank branch front-office employees. The proposed system was validated by the Business Process Management Competence Center director at Millennium BCP – a Portuguese private banking corporation. The main difference between the model constructed in the present research and current evaluation practices is that the criteria were collected directly from multiple specialists working at different commercial banks, who deal daily with this decision problem. The model’s theoretical and practical implications are also discussed

Cell therapy in pulmonary diseases: are there perspectives?

A terapia celular poderia ser conceituada de forma ampla e genérica como o emprego de células para tratamento de doenças. Apesar de um número não tão expressivo de relatos tendo o pulmão como objeto de estudo na terapia celular em pacientes humanos, há dados consistentes da literatura, tanto em humanos, quanto em modelos animais,que evidenciam a migração de células-tronco da medula óssea para o pulmão,em diferentes situações experimentais. Esses resultados forneceram o embasamento experimental para o emprego de células-tronco na regeneração do tecido pulmonar em modelos animais. Em nosso laboratório, vários projetos de pesquisa têm sido conduzidos com a finalidade de avaliar a resposta pulmonar (morfológica e funcional) ao tratamento com células-tronco adultas em camundongos com doença pulmonar obstrutiva crônica (DPOC) induzida experimentalmente. Os resultados obtidos, aliados àqueles de outros grupos de pesquisa, permitem aventar a possibilidade de aplicação, a curto prazo, da terapia celular em pacientes com DPOC. Em outra patologia pulmonar, fibrose cística (FC), cuja abordagem terapêutica com células-tronco apresenta aspectos particulares em relação às patologias pulmonares crônico-degenerativas, há avanços promissores e potencialmente interessantes; no entanto, os resultados podem ser considerados incipientes e deve-se assinalar, portanto, que a associação da terapia gênica e celular apresenta-se como uma alternativa possível, mas ainda muito distante quanto à sua consolidação e incorporação como opção terapêutica segura e eficaz em FC. Por outro lado, tendo por embasamento os resultados obtidos em modelos experimentais, é possível postular que a terapia celular com células-tronco hematopoéticas (ou de outras fontes) encerra perspectivas consistentes de aplicação em diversas outras patologias pulmonares humanas, especialmente em DPOC.Cell therapy can be briefly described as the use of cells in the treatment of diseases. Although the number of scientific reports involving lung and cell therapy in humans is not expressive, there are consistent data, both in humans and animal models. Experiments show the migration of bone marrow stem cells to the lung, in different situations. These results provide the experimental basis for the use of stem cells in the regeneration of the lung tissue in animal models. In our laboratory, several projects have been conducted aiming to evaluate the pulmonary response (morphological and functional) to treatment with adult stem cells in mice with experimentally induced chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. The results obtained, together with those from other research groups, allow us to consider the possibility of application, in the near future, of cell therapy in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease patients. For another disease, cystic fibrosis, cell therapy shows particular aspects in relation to other chronic degenerative pulmonary diseases. In this pathology, there are interesting and promising advances, however, the results are incipient and, thus, it must be said that the association between genetic and cell therapy appears to be a possibility, but still far from being consolidated and incorporated as a safe and effective therapeutic alternative in cystic fibrosis. On the other hand, based on the results obtained in experimental models, it is possible to postulate that cell therapy with hematopoietic stem cells (or from other sources) brings consistent application perspectives in several other human pulmonary diseases, especially in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.CNPqFundunesp Fundação BiomaVal

Unicentric study of cell therapy in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease/pulmonary emphysema

Within the chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) spectrum, lung emphysema presents, as a primarily histopathologic feature, the destruction of pulmonary parenchyma and, accordingly, an increase in the airflow obstruction distal to the terminal bronchiole. Notwithstanding the significant advances in prevention and treatment of symptoms, no effective or curative therapy has been accomplished. In this context, cellular therapy with stem cells (SCs) arises as a new therapeutic approach, with a wide application potential. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the safety of SCs infusion procedure in patients with advanced COPD (stage IV dyspnea). After selection, patients underwent clinical examination and received granulocyte colony-stimulating factor, immediately prior to the bone marrow harvest. The bone marrow mononuclear cells (BMMC) were isolated and infused into a peripheral vein. The 12-month follow-up showed a significant improvement in the quality of life, as well as a clinical stable condition, which suggest a change in the natural process of the disease. Therefore, the proposed methodology in this study for BMMC cell therapy in sufferers of advanced COPD was demonstrated to be free of significant adverse effects. Although a larger sample and a greater follow-up period are needed, it is possible to infer that BMMC cell therapy introduces an unprecedented change in the course or in the natural history of emphysema, inhibiting or slowing the progression of disease. This clinical trial was registered with ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT01110252) and was approved by the Brazilian National Committee of Ethics in Research (registration no. 14764, CONEP report 233/2009)

Modulation of oligodendrocyte differentiation and maturation by combined biochemical and mechanical cues

Extracellular matrix (ECM) proteins play a key role during oligodendrogenesis. While fibronectin (FN) is involved in the maintenance and proliferation of oligodendrocyte progenitor cells (OPCs), merosin (MN) promotes differentiation into oligodendrocytes (OLs). Mechanical properties of the ECM also seem to affect OL differentiation, hence this study aimed to clarify the impact of combined biophysical and biochemical elements during oligodendrocyte differentiation and maturation using synthetic elastic polymeric ECM-like substrates. CG-4 cells presented OPC- or OL-like morphology in response to brain-compliant substrates functionalised with FN or MN, respectively. The expression of the differentiation and maturation markers myelin basic protein — MBP — and proteolipid protein — PLP — (respectively) by primary rat oligodendrocytes was enhanced in presence of MN, but only on brain-compliant conditions, considering the distribution (MBP) or amount (PLP) of the protein. It was also observed that maturation of OLs was attained earlier (by assessing PLP expression) by cells differentiated on MN-functionalised brain-compliant substrates than on standard culture conditions. Moreover, the combination of MN and substrate compliance enhanced the maturation and morphological complexity of OLs. Considering the distinct degrees of stiffness tested ranging within those of the central nervous system, our results indicate that 6.5 kPa is the most suitable rigidity for oligodendrocyte differentiation

Seroepidemiological analysis of toxoplasmosis in college students

Background Toxoplasmosis is a zoonosis caused by an obligate intracellular parasite, Toxoplasma gondii, which affects warm-blooded animals including humans. Its prevalence rates usually vary in different regions of the planet.\ud \ud \ud Methods\ud In this study, an analysis of the seroprevalence of toxoplasmosis among Brazilian students was proposed by means of IgG specific antibodies detection. The presence of anti-Toxoplasma gondii antibodies by indirect fluorescent antibody test (IFAT) was also evaluated in order to compare it with enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and to assess the use of 2,2′-azinobis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) and o-phenylenediamine dihydrochloride chromogens.\ud \ud \ud Results\ud The IFAT method showed a seroprevalence of 22.3%. These results were similar to those obtained by ELISA (24.1%). The seroprevalence was directly estimated from the IgG avidity, which showed that in a sample of 112 students, three of them had acute infection, an incidence of 1.6% in the studied population.\ud \ud \ud Conclusion\ud In this study, the use of different chromogenic substrates in immunoenzymatic ELISA assays did not display different sensitivity in the detection of T. gondii-reagent serum. The extrapolation of results to this population must be carefully considered, since the investigation was conducted on a reduced sample. However, it allows us to emphasize the importance of careful and well prepared studies to identify risk factors for toxoplasmosis, to adopt preventive measures and to offer guidance to at-risk populations about the disease.Fundação para o Desenvolvimento da Unesp (Fundunesp)Municipal Government of Assis (SP, Brazil)CIVAP/SaúdeCoordenação para Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nivel Superior(CAPES)Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq

Profilin 1 is required for peripheral nervous system myelination

Myelination allows rapid saltatory propagation of action potentials along the axon and is an essential prerequisite for the normal functioning of the nervous system. During peripheral nervous system (PNS) development, myelin-forming Schwann cells (SCs) generate radial lamellipodia to sort and ensheath axons. This process requires controlled cytoskeletal remodeling, and we show that SC lamellipodia formation depends on the function of profilin 1 (Pfn1), an actinbinding protein involved in microfilament polymerization. Pfn1 is inhibited upon phosphorylation by ROCK, a downstream effector of the integrin linked kinase pathway. Thus, a dramatic reduction of radial lamellipodia formation is observed in SCs lacking integrinlinked kinase or treated with the Rho/ROCK activator lysophosphatidic acid. Knocking down Pfn1 expression by lentiviralmediated shRNA delivery impairs SC lamellipodia formation in vitro, suggesting a direct role for this protein in PNS myelination. Indeed,SC-specific gene ablation of Pfn1 in mice led to profound radial sorting and myelination defects, confirming a central role for this protein in PNS development. Our data identify Pfn1 as a key effector of the integrin linked kinase/Rho/ROCK pathway. This pathway, acting in parallel with integrin β1/LCK/Rac1 and their effectors critically regulates SC lamellipodia formation, radial sorting and myelination during peripheral nervous system maturation