O papel das redes sociais na fidelização dos clientes

Esta versão contém as críticas e sugestões dos elementos do júriAs redes sociais são um importante meio de conecção com o mundo, de partilha de experiências, opiniões e conteúdos. Os consumidores têm voz ativa e estão permanentemente informados. Isto levou a que as empresas sentissem a necessidade de estar onde o público está e de criar uma relação de proximidade com os consumidores. Este estudo investiga a importância que a presença das marcas nas redes sociais adquiriram na vida dos consumidores e a sua influência na fidelização do consumidor aquando da escolha de uma marca em vez de outra e, principalmente, na hora de defender a marca. De forma a atingir esse objetivo, foi lançado um inquérito pelo Facebook a uma amostra de 201 participantes residentes em Portugal. Os resultados indicam que o relacionamento de uma marca com o cliente nas redes sociais leva à recomendação e defesa da marca, numa altura em que a opinião de outros consumidores atinge uma importância fulcral. Outra conclusão do estudo aponta que o relacionamento nas redes sociais entre cliente e marca produz uma ligação forte, traduzindo em confiança na marca e , por sua vez, em fidelização.Social networks are an important medium of connecting people with the world, sharing experiences, opinions and content. Consumers have an active voice and are constantly informed. This has led companies to feel the need to be where the public is and to create a close relationship with consumers. This study explores the importance that brand presence on social networks has acquired in consumers’ lives and their influence on consumer loyalty when choosing a brand instead of another and, above all, when it comes to defende the brand. In order to achieve this objective, a survey was launched by Facebook to a sample of 201 residents in Portugal. The results indicate that the relationship between brand and consumer on social networks leads to the recommendation and defence of the brand, at a time when other consumers' views plays a fundamental role. Another conclusion of the study points out that the relationship on social networks between client and brand produces a strong emotional link, resulting into brand trust and, in turn, brand loyalty

Candida guilliermondii como agente de candidose

Candida guilliermondii is one of the components of human microbiota. This yeast has been infrequently associated with human infections, which may be related to its low pathogenicity. The aim of this study was to provide clinical and epidemiological data for patients infected with C. guilliermondii at Santa Casa Complexo Hospitalar, Brazil. From October 1997 to October 2003, C. guilliermondii was isolated from clinical samples from 11 patients. Three patients were excluded because the isolation of the yeast represented colonisation. Specimens from the eight patients included in the study corresponded to blood (n = 5), ascitis fluid (n = 2), and oesophagus biopsy (n = 1). Three patients (37.5%) had major immunosuppressed conditions, including solid organ transplantation, AIDS, and leukaemia. Previous use of antibiotics occurred in 87.5%. Main invasive medical procedures were central venous catheter (50.0%), abdominal surgery (25.0%), and peritoneal dialysis (50.0%). No susceptibility data was obtained. Although risk factors for candidaemia were similar amongst patients infected by with C. guilliermondii or other Candida species, mortality associated with C. guilliermondii was significantly lower.Candida guilliermondii é um dos componentes da microbiota humana e infecções associadas com esta levedura têm sido incomuns, o que pode ser atribuído a sua baixa patogenicidade. O objetivo deste trabalho foi documentar aspectos clínico-epidemiológicos em pacientes que tiveram C. guilliermondii isolada a partir de amostras biológicas. O estudo foi conduzido na Santa Casa Complexo Hospitalar, Brasil. Durante outubro de 1997 e outubro de 2003, C. guilliermondii foi isolada de 11 pacientes, três dos quais foram excluídos por se apresentarem apenas colonizados. Espécimes clínicos corresponderam a sangue (n = 5), líquido de ascite (n = 2) e biópsia de esôfago (n = 1). Três pacientes eram imunodeprimidos, incluindo transplante de órgãos sólidos, SIDA e leucemia. Uso prévio de antimicrobianos ocorreu em 87,5% dos casos. Procedimentos médicos invasivos incluíram o uso de cateteres venosos centrais (50,0%), cirurgia abdominal (25,0%) e diálise peritonial (50,0%). Testes de susceptibilidade não foram realizados. Embora fatores de risco para candidemia tenham sido semelhantes entre pacientes infectados por C. guilliermondii ou outras espécies de Candida, a mortalidade associada com C. guilliermondii foi significativamente menor

Permanent education in health and science education : articulations involving training processes

Este trabalho busca apresentar um estudo de caso qualitativo acerca de um grupo de profissionais que passou por diferentes processos formativos de Educação Permanente em Saúde, englobando cursos com o tema “boas práticas de fabricação de produtos cosméticos e saneantes”. Aplicou-se um questionário misto, contendo perguntas sobre os cursos frequentados pelos sujeitos, de modo que as respostas às questões abertas foram interpretadas por meio da análise de conteúdo, enquanto as respostas às questões fechadas foram analisadas com auxílio de escala Likert. Os resultados obtidos apontam aspectos positivos (abordagem sobre legislação e partilha de experiências) e algumas fragilidades (ausência de instrumentos de avaliação e de atividades práticas) nos processos vivenciados pelos sujeitos. Estes sugerem incrementos de qualidade aos cursos, relacionados aos aspectos mencionados. Esta investigação propicia, ainda, a construção de interfaces com o campo da Educação em Ciências, ao relacionar elementos de modelos pedagógicos dessa área (tais como: construtivista, sociocultural e tradicional) com o ideário do grupo investigado, atinente aos processos de ensino e aprendizagem, incluindo-se adotar a utilização destes como referência para análise dos aspectos instrucionais e epistemológicos decorrentes dos cursos investigados.This work seeks to present a qualitative case study about a group of professionals Who went through a different formative processes of Permanent Education in Health encompassing courses with the theme "good manufacturing practices of cosmetic and sanitizing products". A mixed questionnaire was applied, containing questions about the courses attended by the subjects, so that the answers to the open questions were interpreted through content analysis, while the answers to the closed questions were analyzed using a Likert scale. The results obtained point to positive aspects (approach to legislation and sharing of experiences) and some weaknesses (absence of evaluation instruments and practical activities) in the processes experienced by the subjects. They suggest quality improvements to the courses, related to the mentioned aspects. This investigation also favors the construction of interfaces with the Field of Science Education by relating elements of pedagogical models in this area (such as: constructivist, sociocultural and traditional) with the ideology of the investigated group, concerning the teaching and learning processes, as well as by adopting their use as a reference for analyzing the instructional and epistemological aspects arising from the investigated courses

Candidemia em hospital terciário brasileiro: distribuição das espécies e padrões de susceptibilidade aos antifúngicos

Recent studies have shown differences in the epidemiology of invasive infections caused by Candida species worldwide. In the period comprising August 2002 to August 2003, we performed a study in Santa Casa Complexo Hospitalar, Brazil, to determine Candida species distribution associated with candidemia and their antifungal susceptibility profiles to amphotericin B, fluconazole and itraconazole. Antifungal susceptibility was tested according to the broth microdilution method described in the NCCLS (M27A-2 method). Only one sample from each patient was analyzed (the first isolate). Most of the episodes had been caused by species other than C. albicans (51.6%), including C. parapsilosis (25.8%), C. tropicalis (13.3%), C. glabrata (3.3%), C. krusei (1.7%), and others (7.5%). Dose-dependent susceptibility to itraconazole was observed in 14.2% of strains, and dose-dependent susceptibility to fluconazole was found in 1.6%. Antifungal resistance was not found, probably related to low use of fluconazole. Further epidemiological surveillance is needed.Estudos realizados em diferentes países têm mostrado diferença na epidemiologia das infecções invasivas por Candida spp. No período de agosto de 2002 a agosto de 2003, foi conduzido estudo na Santa Casa Complexo Hospitalar, Porto Alegre, Brasil, para determinar a distribuição das espécies de Candida associadas a candidemia e o perfil de susceptibilidade das mesmas aos antifúngicos anfotericina B, fluconazol e itraconazol. Os testes de susceptibilidade foram realizados de acordo com a metodologia M27-A2 padronizada pelo NCCLS. Foi incluído no estudo o primeiro isolado de hemocultivo de cada paciente. A maioria dos episódios (51,6%) ocorreu por espécies outras que C. albicans, incluindo C. parapsilosis (25,8%), C. tropicalis (13,3%), C. glabrata (3,3%), C. krusei (1,7%) e outras espécies (7,5%). Não foi encontrada resistência aos antifúngicos testados, possivelmente devido ao baixo consumo de fluconazol na Instituição. Susceptibilidade dose-dependente ao itraconazol ocorreu em 14,2% e ao fluconazol 1,6%. Faz-se necessário monitoramento epidemiológico

Dynamic structural health monitoring of slender structures using optical sensors

In this paper we summarize the research activities at the Instituto de Telecomunicações—Pólo de Aveiro and University of Aveiro, in the field of fiber Bragg grating based sensors and their applications in dynamic measurements for Structural Health Monitoring of slender structures such as towers. In this work we describe the implementation of an optical biaxial accelerometer based on fiber Bragg gratings inscribed on optical fibers. The proof-of-concept was done with the dynamic monitoring of a reinforced concrete structure and a slender metallic telecommunication tower. Those structures were found to be suitable to demonstrate the feasibility of FBG accelerometers to obtain the structures’ natural frequencies, which are the key parameters in Structural Health Monitoring and in the calibration of numerical models used to simulate the structure behavior

Método das linhas de rotura versus modelos de análise não linear material na determinação da capacidade de carga de lajes apoiadas em solo

Com base nos parâmetros de fractura do betão reforçado com fibras de aço (BRFA) desenvolvido para pavimentos de edifícios industriais determinou-se o momento resistente, com o qual foi determinada a força máxima aplicável num canto de pavimento de BRFA, segundo o método das linhas de rotura. Os valores obtidos segundo este método foram comparados com os determinados com o método dos elementos finitos

Design methods for steel fiber reinforced concrete industrial floors

Industrial floors are still the main application of steel fiber reinforced concrete (SFRC). Crack control joints are made to concentrate the crack propagation in these weakness-induced surfaces, resulting in a floor divided in panels. The design of a SFRC floor is currently made by means of the study of one of these panels, using the yield line method (YLM). The ultimate load of the panel depends on the maximum bending moment of the slab. Since in flooring applications the content of steel fibers, in general, does not exceed 45 kg/m3, the maximum bending moment is only slightly increased by the presence of steel fibers. Therefore, when the YLM is used to design this type of SFRC application the contribution of the fiber reinforcement cannot be accurately simulated. In the present work, this deficiency of the YLM is shown and justified by means of experimental and numerical research. Furthermore, the YLM is unable to predict the force-deflection relationship of a concrete slab supported on soil. The finite element method (FEM) is a powerful tool to analyze this type of structures. However, the accuracy of the analysis depends on the quality of the constitutive model used to simulate the nonlinear behavior of the intervening materials. For this purpose, an appropriate constitutive model was developed and is briefly described in the present work. This model is used in the analysis of SFRC slabs on soil. Using experimental results and applying the corresponding computational code, a numerical strategy for establishing design charts for SFRC slabs on soil is proposed

Fatigue crack growth in notched specimens: a numerical analysis: Fatigue crack growth in notched specimens

Fatigue crack growth (FCG) is linked to irreversible and non-linear processes happening at the crack tip, which explains different problems observed in the use of da/dN-DK curves. The replacement of DK by non-linear crack tip parameters, namely the crack tip opening displacement (CTOD) is an interesting alternative. The objective in here is to study the effect of notches on FCG using the plastic CTOD range, dp. M(T) specimens with lateral notches of different radius (1, 2 4 and 8 mm were analysed numerically, keeping the total depth constant (8 mm). The increase of crack length increases dp and therefore FCG rate. For plane stress state, the formation of the residual plastic wake with crack propagation produces crack closure which compensates the effect of crack length and there is a stabilization of dp. The reduction of notch radius increases dp for all crack lengths, particularly for the shortest ones. For plane strain state there is almost no crack closure therefore dp is higher than for plane stress state, and the effect of crack length produces a relatively fast increase of d