138 research outputs found

    Methodological Proposal to Evaluate the Alternative of Outsourcing the Transportation Fleet of a Company

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    Abstract The companies have different solutions to transport their merchandise to the customer: have their own fleet, outsource the excess when the transport capacity is exceeded by the demand (mixed system) and the complete subcontracting of all the transport operations. Outsourcing is one of the solutions, in different areas of administration and especially in transportation. Then, being a strategic decision, it is pertinent to ask the questions: should it be externalized? and when?. The answer depends on factors that must be evaluated in each case. To make the decision, it is necessary first to evaluate if transport is a "key success factor" and it is a "basic competence" for the company. It is essential before defining what type of solution to give to the transport and depending on it, when it should be taken to make the business gain a competitive advantage. The proposed methodology distinguishes the relevant factors that allow a successful outsourcing, which are: people, infrastructure, ICTs, logistics management and business strategy, which will allow the development and growth of the business. Likewise, tools for business analysis, management, project evaluation and decision making, play a fundamental role in the qualitative and quantitative study of the proposed methodology, a decision model that allows the evaluation of the fleet's externalization, through the possible transport management solutions. Finally, a map of the evaluation process is proposed, integrating the tools defined for the diagnosis, evaluation and definition of the decision

    Automation Factors Influencing the Operation of IoT in Health Institutions: A Decision Support Methodology

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    Health institutions are adopting new technologies for their processes through automation by means of the concept of "Internet of Things" (IoT). Hence, offering innovative tools, applications and technology for the collection of key data and information, which is then integrated and consolidated, covering the different systems and their collaborators. The necessity of receiving quality medical services is essential in the public Policy of any country. The increasing demand for having an adequate number of medical specialists, pharmacies and medications stock, dental and mental health coverage and other, together with the minimization of the waiting list and patient care time have been a crucial concern. Under this context, it is valuable to redesign the processes planning and its coordination through the use of Information & Communications Technology (ICT) and IoT that unifies the systems. Based on previous research, the general purpose is to generate a system model to examine healthcare quality of service and corroborate its effectiveness in a real environment. The aim of this paper focus on the development of a decision support model to define key areas where the inclusion of IoT would sustain the efficiency in health care service. The research methodology is based on case study, integrating planning processes, data analysis, scoring method that interacts with multicriteria approach. A pilot case study is pursued in health institutions in Chile, determining critical factors and the current automation level system appraisal to generate actions of improvement in processes that show poor service quality. The results give rise to the development of an investment plan that can be converted into action plans for a health institution

    Algoritmos de derivación y confirmación diagnóstica de citología cervical atípica: desafíos para la actualización

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    Indexación: ScieloEl Programa Nacional de Pesquisa y Control del Cáncer Cervicouterino de Chile ha contribuido al descenso sostenido de la mortalidad por cáncer de cuello uterino. Para la reducción de esta mortalidad ha sido fundamental la citología exfoliativa del cérvix, la que no está exenta de resultados inciertos. En este sentido, los frotis clasificados como atípicos se consideran ambiguos por la presencia de anomalías celulares de difícil determinación, lo que se traduce en un diagnóstico de probabilidad incierta. En la literatura nacional como internacional, se manifiesta un notorio interés por unificar la nomenclatura citológica cervical y los algoritmos de derivación y confirmación diagnóstica, para el manejo clínico de las mujeres con anomalías citológicas cervicales y lesiones precursoras de cáncer cervicouterino. Por lo anterior, se considera relevante los estudios que proporcionen evidencia clínica epidemiológica actualizada, que permitan optimizar el cumplimiento del Programa Nacional de Cáncer Cervicouterino, conducentes al logro de los Objetivos Sanitarios del período 2011-2020.The National Research and Control of Cervical Cancer in Chile had contributed to the sustained decline in mortality from cervical cancer. The exfoliative cytology of the cervix has been to reduce this mortality, which is not without uncertain results. The smears classified as atypical are considered ambiguous by the presence of cellular abnormalities difficult to determine, resulting in a diagnosis of uncertain probability. The literature, both nationally and internationally, is widespread interest to unify the nomenclature cervical cytology and the support of the derivation algorithms for the clinical management of women with cytologic abnormalities cervical and cervical cancer precursor lesions. Therefore, it is relevant to perform studies the provide updated epidemiological clinical evidence, to optimize the performance of the National Program for the achievement of health objectives for the period 2011-2020.http://www.scielo.cl/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S0717-75262012000400015&nrm=is

    Decision Support for Healthcare ICT Network System Appraisal

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    A framework to support the appraisal process to improve the quality of service (QoS) of an Information and Communication Technology (ICT) network system in health care service is presented. Most of health-related activities stand to benefit from ICT endorsement; however, technical problems may appear, as an inadequate physical infrastructure, insufficient access by the user to the hardware/software communication infrastructure and QoS issues. The aim is to develop a prototype assessment model based on data collected from the main users of a health network system An evaluation process is carried out to analyze and assess the support of QoS of ICT, its infrastructure and user interface perception of the QoS offered through case study for hospitals in Chile. Performance has been evaluated by simulation and modelling network Architecture. The Optimization Network Engineering Tool (OPNET) simulation platform is used to examine the network behaviour and performance to ensure consistency and reliability for thousands of staff across the hospital network

    The sole DNA ligase in entamoeba histolytica is a high-fidelity DNA ligase involved in DNA damage repair

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    "The protozoan parasite Entamoeba histolytica is exposed to reactive oxygen and nitric oxide species that have the potential to damage its genome. E. histolytica harbors enzymes involved in DNA repair pathways like Base and Nucleotide Excision Repair. The majority of DNA repairs pathways converge in their final step in which a DNA ligase seals the DNA nicks. In contrast to other eukaryotes, the genome of E. histolyticaencodes only one DNA ligase (EhDNAligI), suggesting that this ligase is involved in both DNA replication and DNA repair. Therefore, the aim of this work was to characterize EhDNAligI, its ligation fidelity and its ability to ligate opposite DNA mismatches and oxidative DNA lesions, and to study its expression changes and localization during and after recovery from UV and H2O2 treatment. We found that EhDNAligI is a high-fidelity DNA ligase on canonical substrates and is able to discriminate erroneous base-pairing opposite DNA lesions. EhDNAligI expression decreases after DNA damage induced by UV and H2O2 treatments, but it was upregulated during recovery time. Upon oxidative DNA damage, EhDNAligI relocates into the nucleus where it co-localizes with EhPCNA and the 8-oxoG adduct. The appearance and disappearance of 8-oxoG during and after both treatments suggest that DNA damaged was efficiently repaired because the mainly NER and BER components are expressed in this parasite and some of them were modulated after DNA insults. All these data disclose the relevance of EhDNAligI as a specialized and unique ligase in E. histolytica that may be involved in DNA repair of the 8-oxoG lesions.

    Gobiernos municipales: por un desarrollo local basado en la gobernanza democrática

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    El presente reporte da cuenta del proceso de intervención universitaria en el municipio de Tlajomulco de Zúñiga, Jalisco, México, a través del PAP “Gobiernos Municipales: por un desarrollo local basado en la gobernanza democrática”, cuyo propósito general es: Contribuir a la promoción de la cultura de paz, la economía social y solidaria y la promoción de los DDHH en Tlajomulco, desde la Dirección General de Cultura de Paz y Gobernanza, a través de analizar, conocer, difundir documentar y evaluar situaciones relacionadas con la construcción de espacios de paz basados en la economía social y solidaria y la difusión de los DDHH, en la construcción de una ciudad en paz y segura, que, desde una perspectiva interdisciplinar, da continuidad a los proyectos emprendidos durante el periodo anterior, referidos al rescate y apropiación social de los espacios públicos desde la perspectiva de la paz positiva, impulso a las iniciativas de emprendimiento y formación en finanzas para los jóvenes del municipio. En el periodo de primavera 2022, se tuvieron los siguientes objetivos: • Elaborar el diseño de un espacio público, como respuesta a una demanda de los vecinos del fraccionamiento Sendero Real, a través de las mesas de paz, que implementa el gobierno municipal de Tlajomulco de Zúñiga. • Responder a la demanda de apoyo del sector juvenil de Tlajomulco y El Salto, expresada en los talleres de diagnóstico promovidos por el Instituto de la Juventud Tlajomulquense y del Instituto de la Juventud del Salto. • Diseñar y aplicar una evaluación de los programas públicos de mesas de paz y chamba para todos. La metodología aplicada implico la intervención de estudiantes de diferentes disciplinas a partir de grupos sociales específicos que presentan demandas de atención para la recuperación de sus espacios públicos y por tanto requieren de acompañamiento para el diseño de estos, el impulso al emprendimiento través de la realización de Podcast dirigidos a los jóvenes, la integración y aplicación de una propuesta de evaluación de los programas públicos “mesas de paz” y “”chamba para todos”.ITESO, A.C

    Vision, challenges and opportunities for a Plant Cell Atlas

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    With growing populations and pressing environmental problems, future economies will be increasingly plant-based. Now is the time to reimagine plant science as a critical component of fundamental science, agriculture, environmental stewardship, energy, technology and healthcare. This effort requires a conceptual and technological framework to identify and map all cell types, and to comprehensively annotate the localization and organization of molecules at cellular and tissue levels. This framework, called the Plant Cell Atlas (PCA), will be critical for understanding and engineering plant development, physiology and environmental responses. A workshop was convened to discuss the purpose and utility of such an initiative, resulting in a roadmap that acknowledges the current knowledge gaps and technical challenges, and underscores how the PCA initiative can help to overcome them.National Science Foundation 1916797 David W Ehrhardt, Kenneth D Birnbaum, Seung Yon Rhee; National Science Foundation 2052590 Seung Yon Rhe

    MASTREE+ : time-series of plant reproductive effort from six continents

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    Significant gaps remain in understanding the response of plant reproduction to environmental change. This is partly because measuring reproduction in long-lived plants requires direct observation over many years and such datasets have rarely been made publicly available. Here we introduce MASTREE+, a data set that collates reproductive time-series data from across the globe and makes these data freely available to the community. MASTREE+ includes 73,828 georeferenced observations of annual reproduction (e.g. seed and fruit counts) in perennial plant populations worldwide. These observations consist of 5971 population-level time-series from 974 species in 66 countries. The mean and median time-series length is 12.4 and 10 years respectively, and the data set includes 1122 series that extend over at least two decades (≥20 years of observations). For a subset of well-studied species, MASTREE+ includes extensive replication of time-series across geographical and climatic gradients. Here we describe the open-access data set, available as a.csv file, and we introduce an associated web-based app for data exploration. MASTREE+ will provide the basis for improved understanding of the response of long-lived plant reproduction to environmental change. Additionally, MASTREE+ will enable investigation of the ecology and evolution of reproductive strategies in perennial plants, and the role of plant reproduction as a driver of ecosystem dynamics

    Laparoscopy in management of appendicitis in high-, middle-, and low-income countries: a multicenter, prospective, cohort study.

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    BACKGROUND: Appendicitis is the most common abdominal surgical emergency worldwide. Differences between high- and low-income settings in the availability of laparoscopic appendectomy, alternative management choices, and outcomes are poorly described. The aim was to identify variation in surgical management and outcomes of appendicitis within low-, middle-, and high-Human Development Index (HDI) countries worldwide. METHODS: This is a multicenter, international prospective cohort study. Consecutive sampling of patients undergoing emergency appendectomy over 6 months was conducted. Follow-up lasted 30 days. RESULTS: 4546 patients from 52 countries underwent appendectomy (2499 high-, 1540 middle-, and 507 low-HDI groups). Surgical site infection (SSI) rates were higher in low-HDI (OR 2.57, 95% CI 1.33-4.99, p = 0.005) but not middle-HDI countries (OR 1.38, 95% CI 0.76-2.52, p = 0.291), compared with high-HDI countries after adjustment. A laparoscopic approach was common in high-HDI countries (1693/2499, 67.7%), but infrequent in low-HDI (41/507, 8.1%) and middle-HDI (132/1540, 8.6%) groups. After accounting for case-mix, laparoscopy was still associated with fewer overall complications (OR 0.55, 95% CI 0.42-0.71, p < 0.001) and SSIs (OR 0.22, 95% CI 0.14-0.33, p < 0.001). In propensity-score matched groups within low-/middle-HDI countries, laparoscopy was still associated with fewer overall complications (OR 0.23 95% CI 0.11-0.44) and SSI (OR 0.21 95% CI 0.09-0.45). CONCLUSION: A laparoscopic approach is associated with better outcomes and availability appears to differ by country HDI. Despite the profound clinical, operational, and financial barriers to its widespread introduction, laparoscopy could significantly improve outcomes for patients in low-resource environments. TRIAL REGISTRATION: NCT02179112
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