Critical analysis of a Musculoskeletal Disorders Prevention Program

Critical analysis of a Musculoskeletal Disorders Prevention ProgramThe studies involving the development of occupational diseases and accidents at work prevention programs have delimited two facts. One of them is that the program must be linked to the general organization politics. The other fact is that the diagnosis and the intervention about the organizational culture are necessary for the program to reach its goals. This research have aimed to evaluate an ergonomic intervention called Legislature Court, – Prevention of Musculoskeletal Disorders Program – developed, during one year, at the in Santa Catarina, compounded by 61 work environments. The demand have come from the institution direction, which have noticed the growing rise of Musculoskeletal Disorders. Thus, the direction have hired two professionals from the Ergonomics area (phychologist and physiotherapist) for contributing to the team organization which would be formed by the institutions´employess. The PMDP have initially aimed: to investigate the diseases demand and to evaluate the professionals, able to participate in the multidisciplinary team which would develop the PMDP. The program have gathered diagnosis strategies and interventions highlighted by ergonomics, work psychology and physiotherapy. The strategies were brought in two dimensions: the organizational and the individual. On the individual dimension there were performed physical activities on the work environment, followed by discussions about body conscious, in 14 place of the institution, visitations for understanding the work conditions, followed by discussions about the furniture adequacy and body posture; and three groups of preventive activities. On the organizational dimension it was planned for the multidisciplinary team to integrate the department in charge of the maintenance of the building and the health department. For the critical analysis of the program’s results, the data were collected by: : a) historical rescue of the PMDP; b) surveys with the employees who partipated in the multidisciplinary team; c) questionnaires in a stratified pre-sample of the activities´particpants. The critical analysis of the program´s results, can be initially understood, by the political aspect, due to the fact that the multidisciplinary team was built aiming the self-management, facing the human relations´ institutionalization, which permeates the politics adopted by the Intitution. However, the team didn´t reflect about the politics ´attitude and how it was against the whole organization politics. The team professional project was intervening on the Musculoskeletal Disorders prevention. This made them to be recognized as references on Ergonomics and Health. However, the team wasn´t recognized by the institution’s direction, who didn’t have a commitment with the PMDP. To conclude, the result’s criticism shows the comprehension a team must have about its own politics, about its organization politics and how it can determine a Musculoskeletal Disorders Prevention Program and its limits

Communication practices in global product development projects of Brazilian multinational firms

El objetivo de esta investigación fue identificar las prácticas de comunicación aplicadas a los proyectos globales de desarrollo de productos de empresas multinacionales brasileñas y analizar si esas prácticas varían de acuerdo con algunas características de los proyectos. Es un estudio de naturaleza exploratoria, cuyo método de investigación fue el estudio de casos múltiples. Los resultados permitieron verificar que la frecuencia de la comunicación en los proyectos globales disminuye con la distancia, lo que dificulta el control y la coordinación de los equipos. Sin embargo la distancia por sí sola, aunque imponga retos adicionales, no causa necesariamente problemas de comunicación, pues es posible superarla con la ayuda de las herramientas electrónicas de comunicación. El estudio permitió concluir, además, que el uso de las prácticas de comunicación, así como la importancia a ellas atribuida varían en función de algunas características de los proyectos, tales como el tipo de proyecto, las etapas del ciclo de vida, el nivel de complejidad y los arreglos integradores utilizados en el desarrollo de los productos. Aunque haya sido posible identificar tales variaciones, se observó que las prácticas no ocurren de forma ordenada en los proyectos; al contrario, se desarrollan de forma improvisada y circunstancial y no cuentan con una planificación específica al inicio del proyecto.This study sought to identify the most frequent and important communication practices used in the global product development projects of Brazilian multinationals and to analyze whether these communication practices vary according to certain project characteristics. The study has an exploratory nature and the research method chosen was the multiple case study. Our results indicate that the frequency of communication in global projects decreases as distance increases, making the control and coordination of the teams more difficult. However, distance, per se, despite adding to the challenges, does not necessarily cause communication problems, as one can bypass it with electronic communication tools. The study also concludes that communication practices and the importance ascribed to them vary depending on certain project characteristics, such as project type, product life cycle, project complexity and the integrative arrangements used in product development. Although these variations were identified, we found that communication practices do not arise in a standardized manner across all projects; conversely, they are improvised and circumstantial and do not rely on any specific planning at the beginning of the project.O objetivo da investigação aqui relatada foi mapear as práticas de comunicação aplicadas aos projetos globais de desenvolvimento de produtos de empresas multinacionais brasileiras e analisar se essas práticas variam de acordo com algumas características dos projetos. Trata-se de um estudo de natureza exploratória, cujo método de pesquisa foi o estudo de casos múltiplos. Os resultados permitiram verificar que a frequência da comunicação nos projetos globais diminui com a distância, o que dificulta o controle e a coordenação das equipes. No entanto, por si só a distância, embora imponha desafios adicionais, não causa necessariamente problemas de comunicação, pois pode ser contornada pelo apoio das ferramentas eletrônicas de comunicação. O estudo permitiu concluir, também, que o uso das práticas de comunicação, bem como a importância dada a elas variam em função de algumas características dos projetos, incluindo o tipo de projeto, os estágios do ciclo de vida, o nível de complexidade e os arranjos integrativos utilizados no desenvolvimento dos produtos. Apesar de ter sido possível identificar tais variações, observou-se que as práticas não ocorrem de forma padronizada nos projetos; ao contrário, são desenvolvidas de maneira improvisada e circunstancial e não contam com um planejamento específico no início do projeto

Knowledge as a competitive advantage in private security: a study in a company in Santa Catarina, Brazil

The aim of this study was to identify the relevance of knowledge management actions, specifically in the categories of 'knowledge', 'human capital', and 'innovation', adopted by one of the leading companies in the private security market of Santa Catarina. The leading company in the private security sector in the business segment of Santa Catarina served as the basis for the research on knowledge management application. The qualitative method with a descriptive approach was used. The results confirm the feasibility of knowledge management in companies in the sector, although the process is not formalized in private security organizations of Santa Catarina. Investment in intellectual capital, more specifically in human capital, is perceived as fundamental. Important items for the implementation of this process are being considered, such as the beginning of participation in communities of practice, the organization, processing and retention of information of the organization in a strategic manner, and the concern about communication between their employees

Studies of the co-ordination chemistry of guanidines with transition metals

This work involves the characterisation of reaction products of transition metals from the 1st, 2nd and 3rd rows of the Periodic Table with guanidines and their lithiated derivatives. Physical methods such as infrared spectroscopy, (^1)H, (^13)C and (^19)F nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, microanalysis, and conductivity measurements have been used to characterise the materials. The transition metal compounds used in this work can be divided into two groups: (i) metal carbonyls and (ii) metal halides. The metal carbonyls group consists of [M(CO)(_5)L] (M = Mn, L = Br; M = Cr, Mo, W, L = CO), [Mo(Cl)L(CO)(_3)] (L = Ƞ-C(_5)H(_5)) and [MoL(CO)(_3)][BF(_4)] (L = Ƞ-C(_7)H(_7) ), and the metal halide group consists of MCl(_2) (M = Pd, Pt), MLCl(_2) (M = Pd and L = C(_8)H(_12)), K(_2)MCl(_4) (M = Pd, Pt) and WCl(_4). Studies have involved two substituted guanidines, 1,2,3-triphenylguanidine and syn-1,2- diphenylguanidine and the Uthiated derivative of 1,2,3-triphenylguanidine.The reactions were undertaken using a variety of conditions. The type of solvent, temperature and molar ratio are important parameters, particularly for the complexes of manganese. Similar conditions were explored for the complexes of palladium, platinum, chromium, molybdenum, tungsten and arylmolybdenum derivatives. Carbonyl complexes of the type [Mn(Br)(CO)(_3)L(_2)] (L = 1,2,3- triphenylguanidine), [Mn(Br)(CO)(_4)L] (L = 1,2,3-triphenylguanidine), [Mo(Ƞ-C(_5)H(_5))L(CO)(_2)] (L = 1,2,3-triphenylguanidino) and complexes of the type [M2CI4L2] (M = Pd, Pt; L = 1,2,3-triphenylguanidine, 1,2-diphenylguanidine), [Pt(_2)Cl(_4)L(_3)] (L = syn-1,2-diphenylguanidine), [Pt(_2)Cl(_4)L(_2)L'] (L = syn-1,2-diphenylguanidine, L' = N,N'-diphenylurea), [Pt(_2)Cl(_2)L(_2)L'(_2)] (L = syn-l,2-diphenylguanidino, L(^1) = syn-l,2- diphenylguanidine ), [PtCl(_2)L] (L = HNC(Me)NHC(Me)NH) and [PdCl(_2)(C(_8)H(_12))L] (L = 1,2,3-triphenylguanidine, syn-1,2-diphenylguanidine), were isolated. A product containing BF(_3) was isolated, and the bonding of the BF(_3) studied. The guanidine ligand adopts various bonding modes towards transition metals, and studies have been directed towards determining the mode adopted in each of the new complexes synthesised. Guanidines are found to act as strong o- bonding ligands, having consequences on the remaining ligands. Comparison is made throughout with the related amidine ligands. Mechanisms of reactions, consistent with experimental data, are discussed throughout the thesis

Estimating Regional Poverty Lines With Scarce Data: An Application to Brazilian Regions

The recent emphasis on fighting poverty in Brazil makes the determination of the size of the targeted population an important issue (What is the right poverty line? What is the real size of the poor population? How much money should be given to each poor family?). The application of poverty lines based on national income levels tends to produce important distortions at the regional level. Using data from a Household Expenditure Survey (HES) that covered some regions in Brazil, the paper develops and applies a methodology to define poverty lines for all regions and urban areas. These lines are based on nutritional requirements, thus avoiding the purchasing power parity problem, and take into account non-monetary income and in-kind consumption, aspects that are very important at the rural level. The HES results are matched with Census data, allowing for the estimation of rural and urban poverty lines for Brazilian regions.

Comorbidity of psychiatric disorders with drug addiction: preliminary results

INTRODUCTION: Proper psychiatric evaluations are seldom performed on drug addicts. Failure in recognizing dual diagnosed patients frequently results in inadequate treatment interventions. The objective of the present study was to evaluate the incidence of psychiatric disorders in drug addicts. METHODS: Psychiatric morbidity was studied within a sample of 50 drug dependent men randomly selected from an outward treatment facility. Research Diagnostic Criteria (RDC) were used for diagnostic assessment. RESULTS: Lifetime and current prevalence of some mental disorder were of 77% and 72 %, respectively. Thirty-two percent of the subjects presented a depression diagnosis at the time and 44 % met diagnostic criteria for lifetime diagnosis of depression. Depressive disorders somehow seemed to precede drug dependence in 77,3 % of the cases. Also, frequencies of other psychiatric disorders were higher among addicts than within the community. Results from this study were compared with similar international studies. CONCLUSION: The link between psychopathology and drug dependence justifies the importance of specific strategies for the treatment of dual diagnosed addicts.INTRODUÇÃO: Os dependentes de substâncias psicoativas freqüentemente deixam de ser submetidos a avaliações diagnósticas. A não identificação de transtornos psiquiátricos associados à farmacodependência resulta em intervenções terapêuticas inadequadas. O objetivo do presente trabalho foi avaliar a ocorrência de transtornos psiquiátricos em farmacodependentes. MÉTODOS: Foi estudada uma amostra de 50 farmacodependentes do sexo masculino, selecionados aleatoriamente entre os pacientes de um serviço de tratamento ambulatorial para dependentes químicos. Utilizaram-se os Critérios Diagnósticos para Pesquisa (RDC) na avaliação diagnóstica. RESULTADOS: As prevalências de transtornos mentais ao longo da vida e no momento da entrevista foram de 77% e 72%, respectivamente. Trinta e dois por cento dos pacientes apresentavam-se deprimidos por ocasião da avaliação e 44% preencheram critérios diagnósticos para depressão na vida. Os transtornos depressivos precederam a instalação da farmacodependência em 77,3% dos pacientes. Outros transtornos psiquiátricos apareceram em proporções maiores do que as observadas em estudos envolvendo população geral. Os resultados do presente estudo foram comparados com estudos similares internacionais. CONCLUSÃO: A alta correlação entre psicopatologia e farmacodependência enfatiza a importância de estratégias terapêuticas baseadas na identificação de co-morbidade psiquiátrica nestes casos.Universidade Federal de São Paulo (UNIFESP)Escola Paulista de MedicinaEPMUNIFESPEscola Paulista de MedicinaEPMSciEL

Production of English verbs ending in -ed by speakers from different L1 backgrounds

A produção dos verbos terminados em -ed está entre os desafios mais frequentes para os aprendizes de inglês. A literatura mostra que eles tendem a usar a epêntese vocálica ou a omissão do -ed para produzir estes verbos. Cada participante gravou individualmente 96 sentenças com um verbo em cada, incluindo 72 verbos terminados em ed e 24 irregulares, distratores neste estudo. Os oito participantes produziram 576 verbos com 25.52% de produções diferentes da forma alvo, sugerindo que estes resultados foram influenciados pela proficiência dos participantes, a qual pareceu ser maior do que a proficiência dos participantes dos estudos anteriores sobre verbos terminados em -ed. Falantes de português brasileiro e espanhol como L1 usaram vogal epentética e omissão do -ed na produção dos verbos enquanto que falantes de alemão usaram a omissão do- ed na produção dos verbos, produzindo estruturas silábicas menos marcadas e mais próximas das estruturas silábicas das suas L1s, assim como aconteceu em estudos anteriores. A produção dos verbos foi também influenciada pela mudança no contexto que antecede ao -ed em função de dificuldades na leitura, língua materna e ortografia do verbo. Já a produção dos verbos por falantes de inglês como L1 mostrou a omissão do -ed, a qual foi possivelmente causada pela mistura ou ligação entre sons similares durante a leitura.Production of verbs ending in -ed is among the most frequent challenges for learners of English. Literature shows that learners tend to use vowel epenthesis or -ed omission to produce these verbs. The present study investigated the production of English verbs ending in -ed by two speakers of Brazilian Portuguese, two of Spanish, two of German and two of English. Each participant individually audio-recorded 96 sentences with one verb in each of them, including 72 verbs ending in -ed and 24 irregular verbs, distractors in this study. The eight participants produced a total of 576 verbs with 25.52% of non-target productions, suggesting that these results were affected by participants’ proficiency, which seemed to be higher than the proficiency of participants from previous studies on verbs ending in -ed. Brazilian Portuguese and Spanish L1 speakers tended to use vowel epenthesis and -ed omission in verb production whereas German L1 speakers tended to use -ed omission, producing less marked syllable structures that are similar to their L1s’, following the tendency found in previous studies. Verb production was also influenced by change in the context preceding the -ed due to misreading, L1 and verb orthography. Production of verbs by English L1 speakers showed the -ed omission, which was possibly caused by blending and linking of similar sounds during the reading