O empenhamento dos indivíduos nas organizações e nas profissões: uma avaliação dos efeitos das actividades extra-laborais

Tese de Doutoramento em Ciências EmpresariaisO conceito de empenhamento tem atraído a atenção de investigadores e práticos nas últimas décadas, revelando uma crescente popularidade na literatura de comportamento organizacional. O empenhamento tem sido associado a importantes resultados organizacionais, tais como o desempenho, o turnover, o absentismo, a pontualidade e os comportamentos de cidadania organizacional. De todos os focos estudados, o empenhamento na organização é o que tem suscitado maior interesse junto da comunidade académica e dos gestores, primeiro como constructo unidimensional e, mais recentemente, como constructo multidimensional. A presente investigação assenta no pressuposto de que há vários focos de empenhamento, com relevência para a gestão e para o comportamento dos indivíduos em contexto de trabalho, nomeadamente o empenhamento na organização e o empenhamento na profissão. Os dois focos de empenhamento foram conceptualizados como constructos multidimensionais, na linha dos trabalhos de Meyer e Allen (1991). A maior parte das pesquisas sobre os antecedentes do empenhamento tende a enfatizar as características pessoais e situacionais e a capacidade destas na explicação do empenhamento. São poucos os estudos sobre a relação entre o empenhamento e o domínio extra-laboral. Esta investigação avalia a relação entre um conjunto de variáveis do domínio extra-laboral e os focos de empenhamento na organização e empenhamento na profissão. Como a pesquisa assenta numa abordagem multidimensional, são ainda explorados os efeitos de algumas variáveis extra-laborais nas dimensões afectiva, instrumental e normativa dos dois empenhamentos. Foram inquiridos académicos e profissionais de saúde (médicos e enfermeiros) de quatro organizações, tendo sido recebidos 534 questionários válidos. Os resultados indicam que os profissionais aqui inquiridos estão mais empenhados na profissão do que na organização. Os dois focos de empenhamento apresentam uma correlação positiva moderada, o que suporta a perspectiva da compatibilidade entre os dois focos de empenhamento. Os níveis de empenhamento afectivo são superiores aos níveis de empenhamento instrumental e normativo, em ambos os focos de empenhamento. Diversas variáveis extra-laborais estão correlacionadas com os focos e dimensões de empenhamento na organização e empenhamento na profissão. Todavia, a análise multivariável mostra que o valor preditivo associado às variáveis extra-laborais é relativamente fraco. As variáveis extra-laborais incluídas no estudo não explicam uma parte significativa da variância dos dois focos de empenhamento e de cada uma das suas três dimensões. Embora diferindo consoante os focos e as dimensões consideradas, o envolvimento na comunidade aparece como uma variável explicativa da maior parte dos modelos, o que justifica uma maior atenção da gestão a esta dimensão da vida dos seus empregados.The concept of organizational commitment has attracted the attention of academics and practitioners since the 1960s, and has grown in popularity in the literature of organizational behaviour. Commitment has been shown to predict important work outcomes such as performance, turnover, absenteeism, tardiness and citizenship behaviours. Of all forms of commitment it is organizational commitment that has always enjoyed greater interest amongst academics and managers, first as a unidimensional construct and more recently as a multidimensional construct. This study is based on the assumption that commitment has various foci, namely the organization and the profession. Both commitment foci were conceptualized as multidimensional constructs, in line with the works of Meyer e Allen (1991). Previous findings have emphasized personal and situational antecedents and its ability to predict commitment. Far less attention has been devoted to commitment and its relation with non-work variables. This research examines the relationship between non-work variables and commitment to the organization and to the profession, and their impact on the affective, instrumental and normative dimensions. Academics and health care professionals (doctors and nurses) from four different organizations were surveyed and a total of 534 usable questionnaires were returned. The findings reveal that the surveyed professionals are more committed to their profession than to their organization. The organizational and professional commitments show a moderate positive correlation. The levels of affective commitment are higher than the levels of instrumental and normative commitments, in both commitment foci. Various non-work variables were found to be correlated with the different commitment dimensions. However, the regression models reveal that the predictive value of the nonwork variables is relatively weak. Findings also suggest that non-work variables that enter the composition of the predictive models differ according to the dimension and commitment foci. Nonetheless, the community involvement seems to have some explanatory power in most predictive models. Management implications of these findings are also discussed

Water activity in lamellar stacks of lipid bilayers: "Hydration forces" revisited

Water activity and its relationship with interactions stabilising lamellar stacks of mixed lipid bilayers in their fluid state are investigated by means of osmotic pressure measurements coupled with small-angle x-ray scattering. The (electrically-neutral) bilayers are composed of a mixture in various proportions of lecithin, a zwitterionic phospholipid, and Simulsol, a non-ionic cosurfactant with an ethoxylated polar head. For highly dehydrated samples the osmotic pressure profile always exhibits the "classical" exponential decay as hydration increases but, depending on Simulsol to lecithin ratio, it becomes either of the "bound" or "unbound" types for more water-swollen systems. A simple thermodynamic model is used for interpreting the results without resorting to the celebrated but elusive "hydration forces"Comment: 24 pages, 12 figures. Accepted for publication in The European Physical Journal

Work in Prisons: The Gender Difference that Intensifies with the Incarceration and Indicates the Lack of Human Dignity

This study deals with gender inequality in the labour market, a situation that becomes worse when we talk about incarcerated women, showing the lack of human dignity in the prision system. Women’s participation in the labour market has increased over the years, but the gender difference is noticeable when we analyze the positions held and the pay gap. In the penitentiary system, situation is reversed, the number of incarcerated women who work is higher compared to men, and however the conditions referring to human dignity when we speak about gender are unconstitutional. The scope of this article is to lead to academic debate the issue of dignity of incarcerated women in labour market, since the prision system aggravates and indicates the gender difference. To archive the research purpose, the methodology used will be bibliographic and documentary, bringing the concept of work,the discussion about acquisition of the right to work for women and the analysis of data from the profile of incarcerated women, access to work and education in the prison environment. With a population of 37.828 women in spaces designed for men it is necessary think about work, as fundamental at re-socializing and at human dignity. Keywords: Women; Prison; Work; Human dignity. DOI: 10.7176/RHSS/11-11-12 Publication date:June 30th 2021

Novel hyaluronan-based hydrogels obtained by supramolecular crosslinking with peptides

In recent years, self-assembled biomaterials using peptides as building blocks have been developed as a solution for several medical challenges. Peptides offer a great diversity of biochemical properties and, through the combination of different amino acids, it is possible to produce a variety of peptide-based structures with specific proprieties with interest for regenerative medicine and tissue engineering. In the present project, novel hyaluronan base hydrogels obtained by supramolecular crosslinking with peptides were developed for biomedical application. Thus, different designs of peptides, containing a positively charged residue at one end and an aromatic residue at other end, were synthesized to form supramolecular interactions with hyaluronic acid (HA). The mass of the synthesised peptides was confirmed by Electrospray Ionization Mass Spectrometry (ESI-MS), their purity by High Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) and their secondary structure by Circular Dichroism (CD) spectroscopy. In order to investigate gel formation, the peptides, in powder form and in solution of different concentrations at neutral and acidic pH, were combined with 1% and 2% w/v HA solutions of different molecular weights, following different strategies. Observation of gel formation was expected through electrostatic interactions between the positively charge residue of the peptide with HA (negatively charged) and π-π stacking between aromatic residues of the peptides. The resulted hydrogels were characterized by Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), revealing a network of nasnofibrous structures. The concentration of the HA solutions, different molecular weights HA and the peptide design showed to have an effect on the density, organization and packing of the fibers.Nos últimos anos, biomateriais formados por auto-organização molecular constituídos por péptidos têm vindo a ser desenvolvidos como solução a vários desafios médicos. Os péptidos são interessantes unidades moleculares, uma vez que a partir da combinação de diferentes aminoácidos é possível obter biomateriais com propriedades específicas de bastante interesse em diversas áreas, como por exemplo, engenharia de tecidos e medicina regenerativa. Neste projeto, hidrogéis à base de ácido hialurónico foram desenvolvidos a partir de interações supramoleculares com diferentes péptidos, para aplicação biomédica. Como tal, péptidos com diferentes sequências, possuindo um resíduo carregado positivamente numa extremidade e um resíduo aromático na outra extremidade da sequência, foram sintetizados para formarem interações supramoleculares com o ácido hialurónico e interações entre os anéis aromáticos dos péptidos. A massa dos péptidos sintetizados foi confirmada por Espectrometria de Massa com Ionização por Electrospray, a sua pureza por Cromatografia Líquida de Alta Eficiência e a estrutura secundária por espectroscopia de dicroísmo circular. No sentido de investigar a formação de hidrogéis, os péptidos, em pó ou em soluções de diferentes concentrações a pH neutro e ácido, foram combinados com soluções de 1% e 2% de ácido hialurónico com diferentes massas moleculares, usando diferentes estratégias. Era esperada a formação de hidrogéis através de interações eletrostáticas entre os resíduos positivos do péptido e o ácido hialurónico (carga negativa), e ainda π-π stacking entre os anéis aromáticos dos resíduos dos péptidos. Os hidrogéis obtidos foram caracterizados por Microscopia de Varrimento Eletrónico, tendo revelado estruturas compostas por uma rede de nanofibras. A concentração da solução de ácido hialurónico e a sua massa molecular, bem como a sequência do péptido, mostraram ter efeito na densidade e organização das fibras

Fragmentation Experiment and Model for Falling Mercury Drops

The experiment consists of counting and measuring the size of the many fragments observed after the fall of a mercury drop on the floor. The size distribution follows a power-law for large enough fragments. We address the question of a possible crossover to a second, different power-law for small enough fragments. Two series of experiments were performed. The first uses a traditional film photographic camera, and the picture is later treated on a computer in order to count the fragments and classify them according to their sizes. The second uses a modern digital camera. The first approach has the advantage of a better resolution for small fragment sizes. The second, although with a poorer size resolution, is more reliable concerning the counting of all fragments up to its resolution limit. Both together clearly indicate the real existence of the quoted crossover. The model treats the system microscopically during the tiny time interval when the initial drop collides with the floor. The drop is modelled by a connected cluster of Ising spins pointing up (mercury) surrounded by Ising spins pointing down (air). The Ising coupling which tends to keep the spins segregated represents the surface tension. Initially the cluster carries an extra energy equally shared among all its spins, corresponding to the coherent kinetic energy due to the fall. Each spin which touches the floor loses its extra energy transformed into a thermal, incoherent energy represented by a temperature used then to follow the dynamics through Monte Carlo simulations. Whenever a small piece becomes disconnected from the big cluster, it is considered a fragment, and counted. The results also indicate the existence of the quoted crossover in the fragment-size distribution.Comment: 6 pages, 3 figure

Bifurcations and Averages in the Homoclinic Chaos of a Laser with a Saturable Absorber

The dynamical bifurcations of a laser with a saturable absorber were calculated, with the 3-2 level model, as function of the gain parameter. The average power of the laser is shown to have specific behavior at bifurcations. The succession of periodic-chaotic windows, known to occur in the homoclinic chaos, was studied numerically. A critical exponent of 1/2 is found on the tangent bifurcations from chaotic into periodic pulsations.Comment: 6 or 7 pages, 3 figures, publishe

ECONOMICAL AND CULTURAL CONSTRAINTS IN THE ADOPTION OF AGROECOLOGICAL METHODS A CASE STUDY IN MINAS GERAIS – BRAZIL

N° ISBN - 978-2-7380-1284-5International audienceThis text traces the trajectory of the Agroecological Association of Ouro Fino (AAOF) during its ten years of existence. Located in the south of the state of Minas Gerais , Brazil, Ouro Fino's territory presents a diversified agriculture based on family labour with coffee as its main cash crop. The AAOF came into existence in 1999 with the objective of helping small local farmers in the practice of a sustainable agriculture both from an environmental as well as economic and social stand point. Nevertheless, despite the visible achievements, mainly the sale of members' production in the organic market, the Association has not yet succeeded in increasing significantly the number of affiliates particularly among family farmers. We try here to examine the reasons that have motivated current members to join and the possible causes of the difficulty in increasing their number

1859 MAUA’S GAS COMPANY FINANCIAL REPORT: A CORNERSTONE OF BRAZILIAN PRIVATE ACCOUNTING

The 1859 Financial Report of Viscount of Maua’s Gas Company surfaced as a great finding in the subject of Brazilian Accounting History

Comparison of 25-hydroxyvitamin D and bilirubin levels between patients with essential tremor and Parkinson’s disease

Introduction: Differential diagnoses between essential tremor and Parkinson’s disease is challenging in some individuals, with both disorders sharing similarities. Considering these links, we hypothesized that both conditions have a similar profile for some antioxidant molecules, including 25-hydroxyvitamin D and bilirubin. Methods: Weperformed a cross-sectional study comparing serum levels of 25-hydroxyvitamin D and bilirubin in 31 ET patients, 38 PD, and 65 controls matched for age. We used the Fahn-Tolosa-Marin scale for the severity of tremors in the ET group. We used Hohen-Yahr and MDS-UPDRS part III scales in the PD group. In addition, we evaluated sociodemographiccharacteristics, including age, sex, ethnicity, years of study, duration of disease, and use of primidone.Results: We found no differences in serum levels for 25-hydroxyvitamin D or bilirubin subtype levels between the ET and PD groups. We found low levels of indirect bilirubin in the PD group compared to the controls. We did not find differences between ET and controls in all biomarkers of the study. Conclusion: ET and PD patients have similar profiles for 25-hydroxyvitamin D and bilirubin serum levels. The discovery of differences in oxidative stressbiomarkers in both conditions, mainly low-cost substances available clinically, can assist in the differential diagnosis and, in the future, prognostication and better therapy management.Introdução: O diagnóstico diferencial entre tremor essencial (TE) e a doença de Parkinson (DP) é desafiador em alguns indivíduos com ambas as afecções apresentando algumas similaridades. Assim sendo, hipotetizamos que ambas têm perfil similar de algumas moléculas antioxidantes, incluindo 25-hidroxivitamina D e bilirrubina. Métodos:Realizamos um estudo transversal comparando os níveis séricos de 25-hidroxivitamina D e bilirrubinas em 31 indivíduos com TE, 38 com DP e 65 controles pareados por idade. A escala de Fahn-Tolosa-Marin foi usada para avaliação da gravidade do tremor no grupo com TE e Hohen-Yahr e UPDRS parte III na avaliação do grupo com DP. Também foram avaliadas as características sociodemográficas. Resultados: Não encontramos diferenças nos níveis séricos de 25-hidroxivitamina D ou bilirrubina entre os grupos TE e DP. Encontramos baixos níveis de bilirrubinaindireta no grupo DP comparado aos controles. Não encontramos diferenças entre os grupos com TE e controles em nenhum dos biomarcadores do estudo. Conclusão: Pacientes com TE e DP apresentam níveis séricos semelhantes de 25-Hidroxivitamina D e bilirrubinas. Diferenças nos biomarcadores de estresse oxidativo em ambas as condições,principalmente substâncias de baixo custo disponíveis na clínica, pode auxiliar no diagnóstico diferencial e, futuramente, no prognóstico e otimização terapêutica

Fato ou fake: um olhar para as pistas (con)textuais no processo de construção de sentido

This study aims to analyze the phenomenon of the so-called fake news in a didactic approach to reading in classroom. Based on the paradigm of complexity, in this research we discuss the meaning-construction process performed by high school students from a public institution in the city of Aurora-CE. By means of reading workshops, we investigated which interpretive paths these students take to construct and reconstruct meanings taking into account the identification of (con)textual clues that reveal false information in texts. Therefore, base in a reading experience within the perspective of complexity, we verified how students reinterpret, in the interaction, these false publications. The present research has as theoretical background the concept of text as a communicative event (BEAUGRANDE, 1997; MARCUSCHI, 2007); situated learning (COSTA, 2010); reading and complexity (FRANCO, 2011; PELLANDA, 2005); as well as biological and cognitive processes in learning (MATURANA; VARELA, 1995); and the sociocognition (SALOMÃO, 1999). For observation of data emergence, we adopted the action research as a methodology. This is a Master's research proposal carried out in 2020.1 and its results analyzed in 2020.2.Este trabalho tem como foco o fenômeno das chamadas fake news numa abordagem didática da leitura em sala de aula. Com base no paradigma da complexidade discutimos, nesta pesquisa ora em andamento, o processo de construção de sentidos por alunos de ensino médio de uma escola pública na cidade de Aurora-CE. Investigamos, por meio de oficinas de leitura, que caminhos interpretativos esses alunos percorrem para construir e reconstruir sentidos a partir da identificação de pistas (con)textuais que evidenciam falsas informações em textos de divulgação científica. Assim, a partir de uma experiência de leitura à luz da complexidade, verificamos como os estudantes ressignificam, na interação, essas falsas publicações. A pesquisa conta com o aporte teórico relacionado à concepção de texto como evento comunicativo (BEAUGRANDE, 1997; MARCUSCHI, 2008); aprendizagem situada (COSTA, 2010); leitura e complexidade (FRANCO, 2011; COSTA; MONTEIRO; ALVES, 2016); processos biológicos e cognitivos na aprendizagem (MATURANA; VARELA, 1995). Para observação da emergência dos dados, adotamos a pesquisa-ação como metodologia. Trata-se de uma proposta de pesquisa de mestrado em andamento, a ser aplicada em campo em 2020.1 com análise dos resultados em 2020.2.   [1] Esta pesquisa foi aprovada pelo Comitê de Ética em Pesquisa com Seres Humanos da UECE sob o parecer número 3.904.785