Supply chain business modelling

The developed work is motivated by the hypothesis that the presented Supply Chain Business Model is a practical and comprehensive approach to support not only operational day-to-day business decisions, but most importantly strategic and long term decisions that may define the success and the longevity of a business. Conceptually, the Business Supply Chain Model developed in this thesis replicates the behaviour and decision making of the different agents in a supply chain, and an Optimisation Module determines the optimised parameters that maximise the overall business profit, whatever scenario it may be. In the optimisation module, a Genetic Algorithm was used to determine the best equation parameters for each individual agent that optimise the overall supply chain profit. Furthermore, several business case-scenarios are presented and the findings highlighted. These case-scenarios prove that: the HC model is robust when subjected to predictable or unpredictable causes of variability; the bullwhip effect can be reduced significantly by applying GA as the optimisation tool; the improvement of profits needs to be evaluated at a global scale, independently of the individual agents’ profit; impact of supply shortages in the SC ; retail expansion analysis; delivery patterns change impact in profitability; impact of sourcing decisions in the SC profitability; model suitability for seasonal vs. non-seasonal products. The SC Modelling framework generic and globalising approach means that is easily applied and transposed to any other business realities and it can be easily changed to reflect other SC scenarios. The costing model associated means that, at any point in the network, all costs and profits can be easily measured. For the first time the shelf-life of a product captured and losses of product due to BBE dates, quantified. In this model the optimisation methodology runs parallel to the developed simulation tool, so the optimisation should be only run for new scenarios

Y Mabinogi: dreams of unification and the imagined past of wales

A presente dissertação apresenta uma leitura de O Mabinogion – compilação do século XII de contos originalmente escritos em galês médio – com o objetivo de verificar de que maneiras a obra pode ter influenciado o desenvolvimento da cultura e literatura galesa durante a Idade Média. Esta pesquisa investiga como a narrativa de O Mabinogion é permeada pela complexa composição política dos diferentes grupos do País de Gales durante a Baixa Idade Média. Como apoio teórico para referenciar conceitos relacionados ao campo dos Estudos Culturais, são utilizados textos variados de Stuart Hall e também o livro Póscolonialismo Revisitado, de Kirsti Bohata, autora que defende que Gales historicamente detém conexões complexas com a Inglaterra. Bohata propõe uma revisão de certos entendimentos históricos, e afirma que os discursos de subjugação e marginalização estavam presentes em períodos anteriores àqueles tradicionalmente reconhecidos como o imperialismo, a colonização e o mercantilismo. Para a autora, "em termos de memória galesa, pelo menos, discursos de dominação e perda, de imperialismo cultural, resistência e cumplicidade podem ser traçados a partir do poema de Aneurin sobre a derrota em Catraeth [do século VI]" (BOHATA, 2004, p. 8). À luz dessas declarações, são discutidos os Quatro Ramos de O Mabinogion em relação às lutas políticas e dinâmicas de poder entre a Inglaterra e o País de Gales, ocorridas durante o tempo em que as histórias foram escritas. Essas quatro narrativas, que constituem a seção mais antiga de O Mabinogion, são distintamente agrupadas no que os estudiosos chamam de "ramos" porque terminam com a frase: "E assim termina este ramo de O Mabinogion". Elas também são tematicamente separadas dos outros sete contos de O Mabinogion por retratarem personagens do folclore galês que não pertencem às Lendas Arturianas. A dissertação se estrutura em três capítulos. O primeiro explora o contexto político em que os contos de O Mabinogion foram escritos pela primeira vez e revisa o pano de fundo da primeira tradução desses manuscritos para o inglês, ocorrida no século XIX, durante a Era Vitoriana. O segundo capítulo comenta o Primeiro e o Terceiro ramos de O Mabinogion, explorando como os contos retratam as lutas políticas entre os líderes galeses. O terceiro capítulo, por fim, analisa o Segundo e o Quarto ramos, examinando como são retratadas personagens que estão na fronteira entre dois reinos – geográficos ou simbólicos –, analisando como se relacionam com a posição política de Gales em oposição a outros povos. Através do modo como são retratadas figuras heroicas e aventureiras e a descrição da terra galesa, pode-se concluir que esses textos constituem um registro da unidade cultural de um povo, seu modo de vida, história e padrões narrativos. Os textos harmonizam elementos galeses com aspectos de outras literaturas europeias, o que sugere que retratam uma cultura e processo de formação a partir de sua identidade coletiva.This Master’s thesis presents a reading of the Y Mabinogi – a 12th century compilation of tales originally written in Middle Welsh – to verify in what ways this work may have contributed, during the Middle Ages, to the development of Welsh culture and literature. The research analyzes the ways in which the narrative within Y Mabinogi is pervaded by the complex political positions of the different groups dwelling in Wales during the High Middle Ages. In order to support this discussion, the works of Stuart Hall will be cited to aid in the definition of concepts related to the field of Cultural Studies. The critique of Kirsti Bohata in the book Postcolonialism Revisited also aids in the theoretical support of this thesis; as the author argues, Wales historically holds complex connections with England. The critic proposes a review of certain historical understandings, and declares that discourses of subjugation and marginalization were present prior to the traditionally recognized eras of imperialism, colonization, and mercantilism; to Bohata, “in terms of Welsh memory at least, discourses of domination and loss, of cultural imperialism, resistance and complicity may be traced from Aneurin’s poem about the defeat at Catraeth [from the 6th century]” (2004, p. 8). In light of those statements, The Four Branches of Y Mabinogi are discussed, in relation to the political struggles and power dynamics between England and Wales during the time in which they were written. These four tales constitute the oldest section of Y Mabinogi; they are distinctively grouped into what scholars call “branches” due to their all ending with the similar line: “And so ends this branch of the Mabinogi”. They are also thematically separated from the other seven tales in the Mabinogi, as they portray characters of Welsh folklore which do not appear in Arthurian Legends. This research work is structured in three chapters. The first explores the political context in which the tales of Y Mabinogi were first written; then, it reviews the background for the first English translation of those manuscripts, which took place in the nineteenth century, during the Victorian Era. The second chapter goes over the First and Third Branches of Y Mabinogi, exploring how those tales portray the political struggles between Welsh leaders. Finally, the third section analyses the Second and Fourth Branches, examining their portrayal of characters who stand at the border between two realms – geographical or symbolical –, enquiring after how those relate to the political stance of Wales in opposition to other peoples. Through elements such as the portrayal of heroic figures and adventurers, and the description of Welsh land, it may be possible to conclude that these texts sough to register the cultural unity of a people, their way of life, history and narrative patterns. The texts harmonize Welsh elements with aspects of other European literatures, which might suggest that they portray a culture coming to terms with its collective identity

Microfocused Ultrasound with Visualization and Calcium Hydroxylapatite for Improving Skin Laxity and Cellulite Appearance

Background: Age-associated skin laxity contributes to worsening of cellulite appearance. This study evaluated the effects of microfocused ultrasound with visualization (MFU-VUltherapy) in combination with diluted calcium hydroxylapatite (CaHARadiesse) on cellulite appearance and on neocollagenesis. Methods: Twenty women (18-55 years old) with skin laxity and moderate-to-severe cellulite on the buttocks and thighs were retrospectively enrolled. Mal-V was applied using 4 and 7 MHz transducers (25 lines/transducer/site) and immediately followed by subclermal CaHA injection (1 ml/buttock or thigh). Photographs at baseline and 90 days were assessed by 2 independent, blinded evaluators using a 5-item cellulite severity scale. One subject scheduled for thighplasty received treatment with 6 different CaFIA dilutions (0.3 ml/5 cm(2)) followed by MFU-V. Tissue specimens from each dilution site were examined under polarized light microscopy to assess neocollagenesis. Results: Both evaluators reported statistically significant improvements compared with baseline for each item on the cellulite severity scale (P < 0.001) with a 4.5-point improvement in mean overall score (P < 0.001) after a single MFU-V/CaFIA treatment. At 90 days, histologic analysis showed peak neocollagenesis in samples treated with the 1:1 dilution, whether with CaHA alone or in combination with MFU-V. The highest conversion of collagen type III into collagen type I at month 3 occurred in samples injected with 1:1 and 1:0.6 CaHA dilutions without subsequent Mal-V treatment. Both procedures were well tolerated, and subject satisfaction was high. Conclusions: Combination treatment with MFU-V and diluted Cank is effective for improving skin laity and the appearance of cellulite on the buttocks and upper thighs.Metz Pharmaceuticals GmbH, Frankfurt am Main, GermanyUniv Fed Sao Paulo, Dept Pathol, Sao Paulo, BrazilUniv Fed Sao Paulo, Dept Pathol, Sao Paulo, BrazilMetz Pharmaceuticals GmbH, Frankfurt am Main, GermanyWeb of Scienc

Novel pharmacological strategies for neuroprotection in stroke: from bench to bedside

Trabalho Final de Mestrado Integrado, Ciências Farmacêuticas, 2021, Universidade de Lisboa, Faculdade de Farmácia.O acidente vascular cerebral (AVC) é uma das principais causas de mortalidade e morbilidade a longo prazo no mundo. Esta doença tem uma forte repercussão não apenas nos doentes, mas também nos seus cuidadores, visto que os sobreviventes se tornam frequentemente incapazes de realizar tarefas diárias básicas de forma independente. O AVC pode ser dividido em duas grandes categorias: isquémico ou hemorrágico, sendo que o AVC isquémico é responsável por cerca de 87% da totalidade de casos. O grande impacto negativo provocado por esta doença justifica a necessidade de desenvolver novas e melhores estratégias que permitam melhorar a qualidade de vida dos sobreviventes. Atualmente o “gold standard” para tratamento do AVC é a trombólise através da administração intravenosa de trombolíticos (tPA e derivados recombinantes). Quando administrado nas primeiras horas após o AVC, estes fármacos permitem aumentar a probabilidade de recuperação dos doentes. Infelizmente, muitos doentes não cumprem os critérios necessários para realizar este tratamento, o que justifica a necessidade de desenvolver novas estratégias. Nas últimas décadas, o conceito de neuroprotecção tem recebido muita atenção por parte dos investigadores, e inúmeros agentes têm sido testados em contexto pré-clínico, e alguns em ensaios clínicos. A melhor compreensão da cascata isquémica que leva ao dano neuronal permitiu a identificação de novos alvos para estratégias de neuroprotecção. Muitos dos ensaios pré-clínicos com estes compostos têm tido resultados encorajadores, mas que falham em demonstrar benefício na translação para contexto clínico. Alguns autores têm identificado razões para esta falha de translação. Apesar dos desafios que têm surgido neste campo, muitos compostos foram testados em ensaios clínicos nos últimos 5 anos, alguns dos quais ainda estão a decorrer. Independentemente das falhas que ocorreram no passado, a neuroprotecção tem um futuro promissor, e novas terapêuticas têm emergido como a adropina, a tirosina fosfatase STEP, o verapamilo e os microRNAs. A terapêutica combinada tem também um grande potencial, visto que poderia aumentar o número de doentes elegíveis para tratamento com trombolíticos. É muito provável que nos próximos anos surjam descobertas no tratamento do AVC, e os investigadores devem manter em mente os erros que foram cometidos no passado de forma a prevenir que se voltem a repetir no futuro.Stroke is among the main causes of death worldwide and it is a serious cause of long-term disability. This disease has an important impact not only in patients, but also in care providers, since often stroke survivors become unable to perform basic daily tasks on their own. Stroke can be divided into two major categories: ischemic and hemorrhagic. Ischemic stroke is the most common, being responsible for around 87% of all stroke cases. The huge burden associated with this disease, justifies the need to develop new and better therapeutic strategies that can improve survivor’s quality of life. Currently, the gold standard for treatment of stroke is recombinant tissue plasminogen activator (rtPA) administered intravenously. Given within the first hours of symptoms onset, rtPA can considerably increase the chances of stroke recovery. Unfortunately, a lot of patients do not meet the criteria to be eligible for this treatment, thus the need to develop new therapeutic strategies. In the last decades, a lot of attention has been drawn to the concept of neuroprotection and numerous agents were tested in preclinical studies and some of them in clinical trials. A better understanding of the ischemic cascade that leads to neuronal damage has enabled the development of novel therapeutic targets for neuroprotective strategies. Numerous compounds have undergone preclinical trials with exciting results but have failed to translate into clinical benefit. Some reasons behind the gap between bench and bedside have been identified by authors. Despite the challenges of translation, multiple compounds have been tested in clinical trials in the last 5 years, some of which are still ongoing. Regardless of the failures that occurred in the past, neuroprotection has a promising future with new emergent treatments such as adropin, tyrosine phosphatase STEP, verapamil, and microRNAs. Combination therapy holds great potential, since it could amplify the number of patients eligible for treatment with rtPA. In the next years, is likely that new discoveries arise in stroke research, and investigators must keep in mind the failures that happened in the past, to prevent them from happening in the future

Uso de drogas por adolescentes: sus percepciones sobre adhesión y el abandono del tratamiento especializado

Drugs use in adolescence is an important issue to be discussed, due to the early damage it causes. This study investigated adolescent drugs use, ranging from the first trial to perceptions about treatment adherence. Based on qualitative research, the researchers aimed to understand the problem from the subjects’ viewpoint. Data were analyzed through thematic categorization. Fourteen teenagers were interviewed: mostly males, 14 to 19 years old and low education. Marijuana was the most used drug upon the first trial. Friends, free time and "parties" favored drugs use. Teenagers also used drugs to escape from conflicts and feelings. Different intrinsic and extrinsic factors were reported as favorable to treatment adherence and dropout. The findings can contribute to establish therapeutic intervention proposals for adolescent drug users.O uso de drogas na adolescência é questão importante a ser debatida pelos prejuízos ocasionados precocemente. Neste estudo objetivou-se conhecer o uso de drogas entre adolescentes, da primeira experimentação às percepções sobre adesão ao tratamento, com base na pesquisa qualitativa, e se buscou essa compreensão através do ponto de vista dos sujeitos. Os dados foram analisados por categorização temática. Quatorze adolescentes foram entrevistados: maioria do sexo masculino, idade entre 14 e 19 anos e baixa escolaridade. Maconha foi a droga mais utilizada na primeira experimentação. Amigos, tempo livre e "festas" favoreceram a aproximação às drogas. Essas também foram utilizadas pelos adolescentes como escape dos conflitos e sentimentos. Diferentes aspectos intrínsecos e extrínsecos foram referidos como favoráveis à adesão e abandono do tratamento. Os achados podem contribuir para a elaboração de propostas de intervenções terapêuticas, direcionadas a adolescentes usuários de drogas.El uso de drogas en la adolescencia es una cuestión importante a ser debatida por los perjuicios ocasionados precozmente. El estudio objetivó conocer el uso de drogas entre adolescentes, partiendo del inicio del uso hasta las percepciones sobre la adhesión al tratamiento. Basándose en la investigación cualitativa, se buscó comprender los aspectos citados desde el punto de vista de los sujetos. Los datos fueron analizados por categorización temática. Catorce adolescentes fueron entrevistados, la mayoría era del sexo masculino, con edad entre 14 a 19 años y baja escolaridad. La marihuana fue la droga más utilizada en la primera experiencia. Amigos, tiempo libre y "fiestas" favorecieron la aproximación con las drogas; estas también fueron utilizadas por los adolescentes como fuga de los conflictos y sentimientos. Diferentes aspectos intrínsecos y extrínsecos fueron referidos como favorables a la adhesión o al abandono del tratamiento. Los hallazgos pueden contribuir en la elaboración de propuestas de intervenciones terapéuticas direccionadas a adolescentes usuarios de drogas

Oficina: consumo sustentável

Trabalho apresentado no 31º SEURS - Seminário de Extensão Universitária da Região Sul, realizado em Florianópolis, SC, no período de 04 a 07 de agosto de 2013 - Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina.O consumo de forma excessiva vem trazendo a degradação do planeta. Estimular que as crianças e os adolescentes reflitam sobre a responsabilidade planetária do seu comportamento frente ao consumismo é papel das instituições de ensino. A proposta do trabalho é oferecer uma oficina sobre a temática “Consumo Sustentável”, em consonância com os princípios da educação ambiental, com o objetivo de estimular a reflexão a cerca do consumo exagerado de bens e produtos, principalmente entre crianças e adolescentes. A metodologia é expositiva, com uso de slides, vídeos e dinâmica de grupo. As crianças e adolescentes precisam receber informações adequadas para que possam tomar decisões baseadas em princípios mais sustentáveis, entendendo que suas ações têm influência no local, na região e no planeta. Além da temática consumo sustentável ser trabalhada de forma transversal nos currículos formais, ela pode ser uma atividade de extensão, como a proposta desse trabalho, envolvendo os alunos dos cursos técnicos como monitores na sensibilização de outros públicos

Industry 4.0 Technologies: What Is Your Potential for Environmental Management?

The Industry 4.0 is a new industrial model characterized by excellent productive, procedural, and environmental performance. This new industry is perceived as a truly sustainable manufacturing model. And one of the aspects that most contributes to this insight is the extensive set of largely innovative technologies in the industry 4.0. Largely because such technologies are not necessarily unheard of, what changes is the integration between them in the context of industry 4.0. From this explanatory context, the purpose of this chapter is to present the full potential of industry’s 4.0 leading technologies for their highly effective Environmental Management. Thus, it is possible to understand how integrated technologies cooperate together for an environmentally sound and sustainable positioning of industry 4.0 in all its areas. The industry 4.0 has a more conscious use of natural resources, less waste, processes are leaner and the life cycles of its machines and equipment are longer. All these factors together with the technologies, contribute for the Environmental Management 4.0 to be disruptive in relation to the still industries 3.0. The chapter also presents the main challenges for the industry’s 4.0 environmentally sound and sustainable performance through its technologies

Introduction to the use of fram on the effectiveness assessment of a radiopharmaceutical dispatches process

This article aims to make an introduction to the use of Functional Resonance Analysis Method (FRAM) on the effectiveness assessment of a specific radiopharmaceutical dispatching process. The main purpose was to provide a didactic view of the method application to further in-depth analysis. The investigation also provided a relevant body of knowledge of radiopharmaceuticals dispatches processes. This work uses the term ‘effectiveness assessment’ instead of ‘risk assessment’ due to the broader meaning the former provide. The radiopharmaceutical dispatching process is the final task of a dynamic system designed to attend several medical facilities. It is comprised by functions involving mostly human activities, such as checking and packaging the product and measuring the radiopharmaceutical nuclear activity. Although the dispatch process has well-known steps for its completion, the human factor is the fundamental mechanism of work and control, being susceptible of irregular and instable performance. As a socio-technical system, the risk assessment provided by FRAM may be of importance for safety and quality improvements, even more if considered the nuclear nature of the product, which makes risk assessment critical and mandatory. A system is safe if it is resistant and resilient to perturbations. Identification and assessment of possible risks is, therefore, an essential prerequisite for system safety. Although this seems obvious, most risk assessments are conducted under relative ignorance of the full behavior of the system. Such condition has lead to an approach to assess the risks of intractable systems (i.e., systems that are incompletely described or underspecified), namely Resilience Engineering. Into this area, the Functional Resonance Analysis Method has been developed in order to provide concepts, terminology and a set of methods capable of dealing with such systems. The study was conducted following the Functional Resonance Analysis Method. At first, the functions of the radiopharmaceutical dispatches process were identified and described as required for everyday performance to succeed, than for every function the essentials aspects for the function to be carried out were described. After that, some scenarios or instantiations of the model were analyzed in order to propose ways to monitor and dampen performance variability

O uso de drogas por adolescentes e suas percepções sobre adesão e abandono de tratamento especializado

Drugs use in adolescence is an important issue to be discussed, due to the early damage it causes. This study investigated adolescent drugs use, ranging from the first trial to perceptions about treatment adherence. Based on qualitative research, the researchers aimed to understand the problem from the subjects viewpoint. Data were analyzed through thematic categorization. Fourteen teenagers were interviewed: mostly males, 14 to 19 years old and low education. Marijuana was the most used drug upon the first trial. Friends, free time and "parties" favored drugs use. Teenagers also used drugs to escape from conflicts and feelings. Different intrinsic and extrinsic factors were reported as favorable to treatment adherence and dropout. The findings can contribute to establish therapeutic intervention proposals for adolescent drug users.El uso de drogas en la adolescencia es una cuestión importante a ser debatida por los perjuicios ocasionados precozmente. El estudio objetivó conocer el uso de drogas entre adolescentes, partiendo del inicio del uso hasta las percepciones sobre la adhesión al tratamiento. Basándose en la investigación cualitativa, se buscó comprender los aspectos citados desde el punto de vista de los sujetos. Los datos fueron analizados por categorización temática. Catorce adolescentes fueron entrevistados, la mayoría era del sexo masculino, con edad entre 14 a 19 años y baja escolaridad. La marihuana fue la droga más utilizada en la primera experiencia. Amigos, tiempo libre y "fiestas" favorecieron la aproximación con las drogas; estas también fueron utilizadas por los adolescentes como fuga de los conflictos y sentimientos. Diferentes aspectos intrínsecos y extrínsecos fueron referidos como favorables a la adhesión o al abandono del tratamiento. Los hallazgos pueden contribuir en la elaboración de propuestas de intervenciones terapéuticas direccionadas a adolescentes usuarios de drogas.O uso de drogas na adolescência é questão importante a ser debatida pelos prejuízos ocasionados precocemente. Neste estudo objetivou-se conhecer o uso de drogas entre adolescentes, da primeira experimentação às percepções sobre adesão ao tratamento, com base na pesquisa qualitativa, e se buscou essa compreensão através do ponto de vista dos sujeitos. Os dados foram analisados por categorização temática. Quatorze adolescentes foram entrevistados: maioria do sexo masculino, idade entre 14 e 19 anos e baixa escolaridade. Maconha foi a droga mais utilizada na primeira experimentação. Amigos, tempo livre e "festas" favoreceram a aproximação às drogas. Essas também foram utilizadas pelos adolescentes como escape dos conflitos e sentimentos. Diferentes aspectos intrínsecos e extrínsecos foram referidos como favoráveis à adesão e abandono do tratamento. Os achados podem contribuir para a elaboração de propostas de intervenções terapêuticas, direcionadas a adolescentes usuários de drogas