The Implementation Problem of New Public Management Reforms: The

The spread of the new public management paradigm in public administration provided footing for a new movement adhering to a particular set of ideas and concepts of management reform in a wide range of countries at the end of last century and into the 21st century. Governments of different political persuasions fostered a radical drive towards constructing new models for public management in which redesigning the role of the state and introducing models targeting performance moved to centre stage. Administrative management reforms became central amongst the nations of both the developed and developing world. Making the state and its organizations attain higher levels of performance at lower cost guided domestic strategies for producing reforms. While the spread of management values achieved a considerable level of success, and, comprised the main paradigm that guided the state’s reform policies, the same cannot be said of implementing these reform experiments in public administration. Comparative analysis reveals there are considerable limits to managerial adjustment, which are caused by various mechanisms. This article discusses the implementation of management reforms, and, seeks a theoretical explanation for the problem of why failures in implementing such reforms occurred

Characterizing and revealing biomarkers on patients with Cerebral Amyloid Angiopathy using artificial intelligence

Dissertação de mestrado em BioinformáticaCerebral Amyloid Angiopathy is a cerebrovascular disorder resulting from the deposition of an amyloidogenic protein in small and medium sized cortical and leptomeningeal vessels. A primary cause of spontaneous intracerebral haemorrhages, it manifests predominantly in the elder population. Although CAA is a common neuropathological finding on itself, it is also known to frequently occur in conjunction with Alzheimer’s disease, being sometimes misdiagnosed. Currently, CAA diagnosis is generally conducted by post-mortem examination or, in live patients by the examination of an evacuated hematoma or brain biopsy samples, which are typically unavailable. Therefore, a reliable and non-invasive method for diagnosing CAA would facilitate the clinical decision making and accelerate the clinical intervention. The main goal of this dissertation is to study the application of Machine Learning (ML) to reveal possible biomarkers to aid the diagnosis and early medical intervention, and better understand the disease. Therefore, three scenarios were tested: Classification of four neurodegenerative diseases with annotation data obtained from visual rating scores, age and gender; Classification of the diseases with radiomic data derived from the patient’s MRI; and a combination of the previous experiments. The results show that the application of Artificial intelligence in the medical field brings advantages to support the physicians in the decision making process and, at some point, make a correct prediction of the disease label. Although the results are satisfactory, there are still improvements to be done. For instance, image segmentation of cerebral lesions or brain regions and additional clinical information of the patients would be of value.Angiopatia Amiloide Cerebral (AAC) é uma doença vascular cerebral resultante da deposição de matéria amiloide. Principal causa de hemorragias cerebral espontâneas, a AAC manifesta se predominantemente na população idosa. Embora a AAC seja uma doença que por si só tem um grande impacto no grupo etário referido, ocorre em simultâneo com inúmeras outras doenças neurodegenerativas, como a doença de Alzheimer. Atualmente, o diagnóstico de AAC realiza-se quer em post-mortem, quer em pacientes vivos. No entanto, o diagnóstico em vida é conseguido por meio de biópsias de tecidos cerebrais, sendo um método invasivo, o que dificulta a intervenção clínica. Deste modo, torna-se imperativa a procura de alternativas fiáveis e não invasivas em vida para auxiliar o diagnóstico da doença e permitir a melhoria da qualidade de vida do paciente. Perante os progressos na área da tecnologia e medicina, esta dissertação propõe o estudo da aplicação de algoritmos de Machine Learning (ML) para revelar possíveis biomarcadores para auxiliar o diagnóstico e permitir uma intervenção precoce. Deste modo, foram testados três cenários distintos: a classificação de quatro doenças neurodegenerativas com dados anotados obtidos a partir de métricas visuais de avaliação da atrofia, idade e sexo; a classificação das doenças com dados gerados a partir de métodos radiómicos; e uma combinação das duas abordagens anteriores. Neste documento apresenta-se e discute-se os resultados obtidos com a aplicação de quatro diferentes algoritmos de ML que visam a deteção automática da doença associada à imagem testada. Adicionalmente, é feita uma análise crítica de quais as características mais relevantes que levaram à tomada de decisão por parte do algoritmo. Os resultados demonstram que através de aplicação de metodologias automáticas é possível o auxílio ao diagnostico médico por especialistas e, no limite, a realização de diagnostico automático com elevada precisão. Finalmente, são apresentadas possíveis alternativas de trabalho futuro para que os resultados possam ser aperfeiçoados, como por exemplo, a segmentação das regiões de interesse, i.e., identificação das lesões, aquando da anotação por especialistas. Mediante a inclusão dessa segmentação, uma vez que será mais especifica, os resultados serão, por sua vez, aprimorados

Dynamic Capabilities in Cybersecurity Intelligence: A Meta-Synthesis to Enhance Protection Against Cyber Threats

Advanced cybersecurity threats with automated capabilities are on the rise in industries such as finance, healthcare, technology, retail, telecoms, and transportation, as well as government. It is necessary to conduct analyses of cybersecurity-related resources and capabilities to build cybersecurity intelligence (CI). The purpose of this paper is to suggest a dynamic capability in a cybersecurity intelligence (DCCI) model based on existing literature that helped firms reduce risks of cyber violations and advance the development of systems and the life cycle of firms. Through a meta-synthesis, an abduction and induction approach through eight methodological steps analyzed in forty-seven case studies the presence of cybersecurity capabilities to build CI. Combining theoretical and practical information security maturity models as a foundation, we understand capabilities building to improve the predictability of cyber incidents. The results evidenced four second-order dimensions to build CI named doing, enabling, improving, and managing cybersecurity, and eight first-order outcomes to represent the DCCI model. This research makes an unprecedented contribution to international and national scenarios, as it will allow firms to innovate their resource management processes and abilities to enable better cybersecurity projects and reduce the impacts of potential cyberattacks with the probability of eradicating vulnerabilities

Odontopediatria no alojamento conjunto: avaliação de um projeto inovador em promoção de saúde bucal

According to the current paradigm for promoting health, dental care should be a consideration from the first months of life, or even before birth. The aim of this paper is to evaluate mothers' knowledge of and attitude toward their babies' oral health after receiving guidance during the neonatal period. Forty-six mothers were contacted and asked about the advice they had received and how they felt about the information provided. The mothers recruited for the study were divided into two groups, A (n=25) and B (n=21), according to the time elapsed since their participation in the project, that is, less than or equal to three months and more than three months, respectively. A Wilcoxom rank sum test did not show any statistically significant difference between the two groups (p>;0.05). Guidance on the baby's oral hygiene, breastfeeding the baby exclusively until the sixth month, as well as the restrictions imposed on sugar intake were what the mothers remembered most. Recommendations concerning good arch development and the use of bottles were what mothers remembered least. Regarding infant oral health, it would be advisable to schedule prenatal and neonatal visits, with the second post-natal consultation no later than four months after childbirth.Segundo o paradigma atual de promoção de saúde, a atenção odontológica deve se iniciar ainda nos primeiros meses de vida ou então anteriormente ao nascimento, já que hábitos alimentares e de higiene bucal se estabelecem muito cedo. Avaliou-se o grau de conhecimento e as atitudes das mães com relação à saúde bucal do bebê, após as mesmas terem recebido orientações no período neonatal (projeto "Odontopediatria no alojamento conjunto"/ UFG). Quarenta e seis mães com idades de 15 a 38 anos foram questionadas a respeito das orientações recebidas, bem como seu comportamento em relação às mesmas. Dividiu-se a casuística em dois grupos, A (n=25) e B (n=21), de acordo com o tempo decorrido após a implementação do projeto, ou seja, menor ou igual a três meses e maior que três meses, respectivamente. Frente às orientações recebidas (transmissibilidade da cárie dentária, hábitos alimentares, desenvolvimento das arcadas e higiene bucal), a análise de variância não mostrou diferenças estatisticamente significantes entre os dois grupos (p >; 0,05), no que diz respeito ao conhecimento e atitudes das mães. As orientações de higiene bucal do bebê, de aleitamento materno exclusivo até seis meses e a restrição na ingestão de açúcar foram as mais lembradas pelas mães. Recomendações referentes à contribuição ao bom desenvolvimento das arcadas e às precauções quanto ao uso de mamadeiras foram menos recordadas. Considerando a saúde bucal do lactente, seria aconselhável que cuidadores sejam orientados nos períodos pré- e neonatal, sendo que a segunda consulta odontológica pós-nascimento deve idealmente ocorrer por volta do quarto mês de vida da criança

Training needs assessment : where we are and where we should go

The aim of this article is to systematically review Training Needs Assessment (TNA) scientific literature. Based on two research questions (where are we? where should we go?), we hoped to evaluate the current state of scientific production on TNA and to point out some possible developments. The following databases were consulted: Web of Knowledge, Ovid, Proquest, Wiley Online Library, Emerald, PsycNet, CAPES Database and Scielo. Fifty-One articles were analyzed. The results show that: (a) there is little agreement on how to measure training needs; (b) most of the current TNA models and methods are reactive and do not consider contextual factors and multiple levels of analysis in a proactive way; (c) there are gaps in TNA and a need for theoretical definitions; (d) there is little concern with building theories and concepts related to TNA. Based on these findings, we point out that TNA practice and research should: (a) be based exclusively on measurable human competences gaps, in multiple possible levels of analysis; (b) not focus only on individual professional roles, but also on internal and external contextual factors that can be important in the future; (c) discuss and criticize in depth what work needs, training needs and training needs assessment mean; (d) elaborate and test TNA theories, concepts, models and methods

Do Not Close My School : Facebook, Occupations and Demonstrations for Promoting Social Change

This article describes how secondary education students from the state of São Paulo, Brazil, protested against the closure of ninety-four schools of public educational system. The movement named ‘Do not close my school’ was a combination of online protest, using Facebook pages, occupy-type protest, in which students occupied more than 200 schools, and demonstrations, which occurred in different cities of the state. It was a movement organized by the students, with no official support of school managers, and lasted more than two months. We analyse the activities involved in the ‘Do not close my school’ movement under a Cultural-Historical Activity Theory framework, and we discuss how the concept of collaborative agency is important for the development of such a protest. As data, we use the content of pages on Facebook from fifty-six groups related to the school occupation and 111 official pages, also on Facebook, from the schools. We performed a multimodal and network analysis of the data in order to understand how the movement developed which results were obtained by the students. Our findings suggest that by acting collaboratively students were able to reach satisfactory results from their protests. In addition, they expanded the activities in their groups on Facebook to other contexts, like organizing events in their schools or using them for other social movements.Peer reviewe

Decision-Making Attitudes in the Beef Chain Industry Innovation Adoption: Brazilian Case Studies

The research objective was to analyze the attitudes of decision-makers in the innovation adoption process in the Brazilian beef chain industry. The study’s approach was qualitative and exploratory, using multiple cases in the beef chain industry. To reach the objective, 17 rural properties in the Brazilian state of Mato Grosso do Sul were investigated. Unstructured interviews were conducted to map the decision-makers’ attitudes regarding the innovation adoption process. Content analysis was performed using the ATLAS.TI software. Findings: The attitudes of the decision makers to evaluate the internal environmental conditions showed the characteristics of informality, slowness, centralization, and conservatism. The factors that affect the innovation adoption were the cost-benefit ratio analysis, the cohesion and connection between what already exists in the organization and the innovative technology, and the uncertainties regarding the return on investment. Originality: The Brazilian Beef Chain has been suffering competition in the domestic and foreign market. Beef Chain can find in innovation a mechanism that allows it to improve its strategic position and thus remain competitive. The findings enabled the proposal of an innovation adoption model based on the attitudes of the decision-makers for the beef chain industry.

Modelo descritivo de atuação sustentável para o desenvolvimento de inovações sociais

Purpose: The concept of social innovation as open, collaborative and social transformation process opens room to reinforce the need of legitimizing social impact businesses and of expanding partnerships for social change, as well as the urgency of establishing professional and more sustainable social innovation environments. Accordingly, we tried to answer the following research question: How can social business performance boost the development of social innovations?Design/methodology/approach: Therefore, we adopted the inductive approach of qualitative paradigm, based on the Grounded Theory, to investigate 24 social businesses. In addition, we adopted the Atlas.ti software for data organization and recovery.Aggregate results allowed us to  propose a descriptive model of sustainable performance for the development of social innovations in social business, based on the following propositions: sustainable performance in processes and social innovation, the prevalence of a cooperative environment to solve social issues, professional governance as causal factor to social innovation development, the development of actions focused on public interests as influencing conditions for social innovation development, technical and scientific evaluation of social impacts as strategy to measure the outcomes of developed innovations and the expansion of social impacts as the consequence of the self-negotiation of social affairs.Originality/value: A descriptive model of sustainable acting was proposed for the development of social innovations in social businesses.Finalidade: A concepção da inovação social como um processo aberto, colaborativo e gerador de transformação da sociedade reforça a necessidade da ampliação de parcerias e da legitimação dos negócios que promovem impacto e mudança social. Considerando esse contexto, buscou-se responder à seguinte questão de pesquisa: Como a atuação dos negócios sociais pode potencializar o desenvolvimento de inovações sociais?Desenho / metodologia / abordagem: Para tanto, foram adotados: a abordagem indutiva, fundamentada em dados empíricos (Grounded Theory), a partir do paradigma qualitativo, em uma investigação de 24 negócios sociais; e o software Atlas.ti, para a organização e a recuperação dos dados.Constatações: A agregação dos resultados possibilitou a elaboração de um modelo descritivo, de atuação sustentável, para o desenvolvimento de inovações em negócios sociais, a partir das seguintes proposições: (a) atuação sustentável tanto nos processos quanto na inovação social propriamente dita; (b) prevalência de um contexto cooperativo para resolver questões sociais; (c) governança profissionalizada, como condicionante causal à geração de inovações sociais; (d) desenvolvimento de ações de interesse público como condicionante interveniente à geração de inovações sociais; (e) avaliação técnica e científica do impacto social, como estratégia de mensuração dos resultados das inovações geradas; e (f) expansão do impacto social, como consequência da atuação autoescalável dos negócios sociais.Originalidade / valor: Foi proposto um modelo descritivo de atuação sustentável para o desenvolvimento de inovações sociais em negócios sociais

Beyond and the marginalized : notes on their relationship on the Castilian hagiographies in the XIII Century

In this article, we analyze two hagiographies written in the second half of the XIII century, known as Milagros de Nuestra Señora and Liber Mariae. Both were written in the kingdom of Castile, respectively, by Gonzalo de Berceo and Juan Gil de Zamora, clergy members with university education. However, the last was a Franciscan, who maintained relations with royalty, while the first was a priest with strong links with the monastic life. In their writings, the moral and didactical appeal directed to the Christians believers is also remarkable. Thus, through a comparative perspective and considering the historical context of the period, we will examine the representations of the marginalized present in the selected hagiographies, making some parallels between the place of the miracles, their social situation and their postmortem fate. For a better understanding of the question, we are also resorting to the associations that are made on the texts between the marginalized and the characters of the Virgin and the Devil, justly because they exemplify the models of inclusion or exclusion in these narratives