Investigando o efeito do alinhamento entre o gerenciamento de portfólios e a estratégia da organização no sucesso de portfólios em uma empresa de petróleo e gás

The aim of this study was the effect of alignment between portfolios management and strategy of the organization on portfolios success in Iranian Oil & Gas Company. This study was applied and correlational. In the first phase, using previous literature and interviewing the elites, the indicators were identified then proposed a questionnaire, the validity of which was confirmed using experts’ ideas as well as convergent validity and the reliability of questionnaires was obtained as 0.81 using Cronbach’s alpha. In the next phase, to test model and investigate the alignment status of research statistical population that is the company, 99 managers and employees were selected as sample. To analyze data, structural equation test through PLS software was used. The results showed that:1-Strategic alignment of portfolios and the strategy of organization affects the portfolio’s success positively and has a significant relationship with it.2-Strategic alignment of portfolios and the strategy of organization affects the realization of organization benefits positively and has a significant relationship with it. 3-The portfolios success aff ects the realization of organization benefits positively and has a significant relationship with it.El objetivo de este estudio fue el efecto de la alineación entre la gestión de carteras y la estrategia de la organización sobre el éxito de las carteras en Iranian Oil & Gas Company. Este estudio fue aplicado y correlacional. En la primera fase, utilizando literatura previa y entrevistando a las élites, se identificaron los indicadores y luego se propuso un cuestionario, cuya validez se confirmó con ideas de expertos y validez convergente, y la confiabilidad de los cuestionarios se obtuvo como 0,81 usando alfa de Cronbach. En la siguiente fase, para probar el modelo e investigar el estado de alineación de la población estadística de investigación que es la empresa, se seleccionaron 99 gerentes y empleados como muestra. Para analizar los datos, se utilizó la prueba de ecuación estructural a través del software PLS. Los resultados mostraron que:1-La alineación estratégica de las carteras y la estrategia de organización afecta positivamente el éxito de la cartera y tiene una relación significativa con ella.2-La alineación estratégica de las carteras y la estrategia de organización afecta positivamente la realización de los beneficios de la organización y tiene una relación significativa con ella.3-El éxito de las carteras afecta positivamente la realización de los beneficios de la organización y tiene una relación significativa con ella.O objetivo deste estudo foi o efeito do alinhamento entre o gerenciamento de portfólios e a estratégia da organização sobre o sucesso dos portfólios na Iranian Oil & Gas Company. Este estudo foi aplicado e correlacional. Na primeira fase, utilizando a literatura prévia e entrevistando as elites, os indicadores foram identificados e, em seguida, proposto um questionário, cuja validade foi confirmada por meio de idéias de especialistas e validade convergente e a confiabilidade dos questionários foi obtida em 0,81 usando o alfa de Cronbach. Na fase seguinte, para testar o modelo e investigar o status de alinhamento da população estatística da pesquisa que é a empresa, 99 gestores e funcionários foram selecionados como amostra. Para análise dos dados, foi utilizado o teste de equações estruturais por meio do software PLS. Os resultados mostraram que:1-Alinhamento estratégico de portfólios e a estratégia de organização afeta positivamente o sucesso do portfólio e tem uma relação significativa com ele.2-O alinhamento estratégico de portfólios e a estratégia de organização afetam positivamente a realização dos benefícios da organização e possuem uma relação significativa com ela.3 - O sucesso das carteiras afeta positivamente a realização dos benefícios da organização e tem relação significativa com ela

Levodopa Plus Occlusion Therapy versus Occlusion Therapy Alone for Children with Anisometropic Amblyopia

Purpose: This study aimed to compare the effects of short-term administration of levodopa plus occlusion therapy versus occlusion therapy alone in preschool children with hyperopic anisometropic amblyopia. Methods: This comparative interventional study included 40 eligible preschool children aged 6 to 7 years with hyperopic anisometropic amblyopia. The primary outcome measure was the logarithm of the minimum angle of resolution (logMAR) best-corrected visual acuity recorded at baseline, 3 weeks after the treatment initiation and 12 weeks after the treatment termination. The results were compared between the two groups. Results: No statistically significant intergroup difference was observed in baseline logMAR visual acuities (P = 0.92). The mean logMAR visual acuities of the amblyopic eyes were significantly better in both groups three weeks after the treatment initiation than the baseline (P < 0.01 in both groups). At 12 weeks after treatment termination, the logMAR visual acuities of the amblyopic eyes were significantly better than the baseline values (P < 0.001 in the placebo group and P = 0.09 in the levodopa group). Intergroup comparisons revealed no statistically significant difference in visual acuities 3 weeks after the treatment initiation (P = 0.11) and 12 weeks after the treatment termination (P = 0.10). Twelve weeks after the treatment termination, visual acuities regressed 0.037 logMAR in the placebo group and 0.042 logMAR in the levodopa group. These regression rates were not significantly different (P = 0.89). Conclusion: The results of this study provide evidence that adding short-term administration of levodopa to occlusion therapy in hyperopic anisometropic amblyopia offers no additional benefit in visual outcomes and provides no advantage in terms of the regression rate

The Three-Objective Optimization Model of Flexible Workshop Scheduling Problem for Minimizing Work Completion Time, Work Delay Time, and Energy Consumption

In recent years, the optimal design of the workshop schedule has received much attention with the increased competition in the business environment. As a strategic issue, designing a workshop schedule affects other decisions in the production chain. The purpose of this thesis is to design a three-objective mathematical model, with the objectives of minimizing work completion time, work delay time and energy consumption, considering the importance of businesses attention to reduce energy consumption in recent years. The developed model has been solved using exact solution methods of Weighted Sum (WS) and Epsilon Constraint (Ɛ) in small dimensions using GAMS software. These problems were also solved in large-scale problems with NSGA-II and SFLA meta-heuristic algorithms using MATLAB software in single-objective and multi-objective mode due to the NP-Hard nature of this group of large and real dimensional problems. The standard BRdata set of problems were used to investigate the algorithms performance in solving these problems so that it is possible to compare the algorithms performance of this research with the results of the algorithms used by other researchers. The obtained results show the relatively appropriate performance of these algorithms in solving these problems and also the much better and more optimal performance of the NSGA-II algorithm compared to the performance of the SFLA algorithm

Factors Associated with Quality of Life in Mothers of Children with Cerebral Palsy in Iran

SummaryObjective/BackgroundChildren with cerebral palsy (CP) need more attention and care, especially from their mothers. This can affect the mothers' quality of life (QOL) adversely. This study aimed to assess the QOL of Iranian mothers who have a child with CP, compared with mothers with a healthy child, focusing on some individual and social underlying factors.MethodsUsing a cluster-sampling approach, two groups of eligible mothers having children aged 4–12 years, with and without CP, from Tehran's randomly selected clinics, were chosen in a convenient way and enrolled in a cross-sectional study. A group of mothers with healthy children whose demographics closely matched with the group of mothers having children with CP were selected and recruited in the study. The group with mothers with children with CP was selected randomly from a convenience sample in 14 rehabilitation and occupational therapy clinics in Tehran, Iran. To collect data on characteristics of interest, mothers were interviewed, and the SF-36 Questionnaire was used to measure their QOL. The relationship between each characteristic and the mothers' level of QOL was assessed, and the crude odds ratios (ORs) and adjusted ORs were measured by logistic regression.ResultsSixty mothers with CP children, and 60 mothers with healthy children participated in this study. Their mean (±standard deviation) age was 33.79 (±6.02) years, and their children's mean age was 7.11 (±2.71). The two groups were significantly different in QOL mean score (57.35 ± 18.39 vs. 71.7 ± 13.58; p ≤ .001). It was shown that having a child with CP with intellectual disability is significantly related to a worse level of QOL of mothers (adjusted OR = 5.4, p ≤ .001), whereas having full-time jobs is reversely associated with it (adjusted OR = 0.2, p = .02).ConclusionTwo important factors that lead to a worse QOL of mothers with a CP child are the unemployment of mothers and having a CP child with concurrent intellectual disabilities. To diminish the adverse effects of having a CP child on QOL of mothers, unemployed women who have a CP child with concurrent intellectual disabilities need more psychological support and help

Using Electromagnetism Algorithm for Determining the Number of kanbans in a Multi-stage Supply Chain System

This paper studies the multi-stage supply chain system (MSSCM) controlled by the kanban mechanism. In the kanban system, decision making is based on the number of kanbans as well as batch sizes. A kanban mechanism is employed to assist in linking different production processes in a supply chain system in order to implement the scope of just-in-time (JIT) philosophy. For a MSSCM, a mixed-integer nonlinear programming (MINLP) problem is formulated from the perspective of JIT delivery policy where a kanban may reflect to a transporter. Since the adopted model is of MINLP type and solving it by branch and bound (B&B) takes time, a metaheuristic is presented. This metaheuristic is an electromagnetic algorithm (EA). The EA is compared against an existing algorithm and also B&B results to evaluate the proposed metaheuristic. Extensive experiments and statistical analyses demonstrate that our proposed EM is more efficient than B&B with regard to the objective functions considered in this paper

Sudden Complete Versus Gradual Weaning from Nasal Continuous Positive Airway Pressure in Preterm Neonates: A Randomized Controlled Trial

Background: Continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) is used as respiratory support in preterm neonates; however, the best weaning method has not yet been determined. In this study, we compared sudden complete and gradual weaning from nasal CPAP (NCPAP) in preterm newborns. Methods: This randomized controlled trial was conducted on 62 preterm neonates who were born with a gestational week of < 32 weeks and required NCPAP for at least 24 h. The neonates were stable on NCPAP at 0.21 FiO(2) and 5 cm H2O positive end-expiratory pressure. They were randomized into two groups of gradual and sudden weaning using random numbers sheet. The primary outcome was successful weaning at the first attempt. The secondary outcomes included the number of NCPAP weaning attempts, the need for mechanical ventilation (nasal and endotracheal), duration of NCPAP, oxygenation, and length of hospital stay. Results: According to the results, 80.6% of the patients in the sudden weaning group and 74.2% of the patients in the gradual weaning group were weaned successfully in the first attempt. However, there was no statistically significant difference between the two groups in this regard (P=0.54). Duration of NCPAP was significantly lower in the sudden weaning group, compared to that in the gradual weaning group (P<0.001). Numbers of NCPAP weaning attempts, the need for mechanical ventilation, duration of oxygenation, and hospital stay in the two groups were not significantly different. Conclusion: There was no difference between sudden complete and gradual weaning from NCPAP in terms of treatment success and complications. The selection of the appropriate technique may depend on available equipment and treatment costs

Model for Identifying Effective Factors in Brand Identity in Banking

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A Comparative Study of the Efficacy of Surfactant Administration through a Thin Intratracheal Catheter and its Administration via an Endotracheal Tube in Neonatal Respiratory Distress Syndrome

Background: The cornerstone of the treatment of respiratory distress syndrome (RDS) is respiratory support and surfactant replacement therapy. The administration of surfactant through a thin intratracheal catheter is one of the methods used to reduce one of the standard technique complications of a surfactant injection (Intubation-SurfactantExtubation method [INSURE]). The aim of this study was to compare the effectiveness of this method on the treatment of RDS in neonates with one of the INSURE technique. Methods: In this double blind clinical trial, 104 neonates with RDS were randomly allocated to two groups, one group received surfactant via an endotracheal tube (INSURE) and the other received surfactant without intubation (SWI) via a thin intratracheal catheter. Subsequently the outcomes of the two groups were compared. Results: The incidence of hypoxemia during surfactant administration was significantly lower in the SWI group (11.5%) than in the INSURE group (28.8% , P< 0.05). no significant difference was observed in the need for intubation and mechanical ventilation during the first 72 hours of life, the duration of mechanical ventilation, the need for nasal continuous positive airway pressure (NCPAP), the need for oxygen, the incidence of bronchopulmonary dysplasia, intraventricular hemorrhage, pulmonary hemorrhage ,and death in the two groups. Conclusion: Administration of surfactant through a thin intratracheal catheter is a safe and easy technique. This method is as effective as the INSURE method in improving the outcomes of RDS treatmen

Construction of an engineered alpha 1-antitrypsin with inhibitory activity based on theoretical studies

Background: The elastase inhibitor \u3b1-1-antitrypsin (AAT), is a member of the serpin superfamily of protease inhibitors. AAT has a characteristic secondary structure of three-\u3b2-sheets, nine-\u3b1-helices and a reactive central loop (RCL). This protein inhibits target proteases by forming a stable complex in which the cleaved RCL is inserted into \u3b2-sheet-A of the serpin, leading to a conformational change in the AAT protein. Spontaneous polymerization and instability of AAT are challenges with regard to producing drugs against AAT-deficient diseases. Therefore, the purpose of many investigations currently is to produce drugs with lower degrees of polymerization and higher stabilities. In order to investigate the effect of the N-terminal segment (residues 1-43) on AAT structure, molecular dynamic (MD) simulation was used to study structural properties including Root-mean-square deviation (RMSD), internal motions, intramolecular non-bonded interactions and the total accessible surface area (ASA) of native and reduced AAT. These properties were compared in native and truncated AAT. Results: Theoretical studies showed no noticeable differences in the dynamic and structural properties of the two structures. These findings provided the basis for the experimental phase of the study in which sequences from the two AAT constructs were inserted into the expression vector pGAPZ and transformed into Pichia pastoris. Results showed no differences in the activities and polymerization of the two AAT constructs. Conclusions: As small-scale medicines are preferred by lung drug delivery systems, in this study AAT was designed and constructed by decreasing the number of amino acids at the N-terminal region

Two-dimensional-Ti3C2 magnetic nanocomposite for targeted cancer chemotherapy

Introduction: Cervical cancer is the leading cause of cancer-related death in women, so novel therapeutic approaches are needed to improve the effectiveness of current therapies or extend their activity. In recent decades, graphene analogs, such as Mxene, an emerging class of two-dimensional (2D) graphene analogs, have been drawing considerable attention based on their intrinsic physicochemical properties and performance as potential candidates for tumor therapy, particularly for therapeutic purposes. Here we explored the targeted drug delivery in cervical cancer in in vivo model. Mxene-based nanocarriers are not able to be precisely controlled in cancer treatment.Method: To solve this problem, the titanium carbide-magnetic core-shell nanocarrier (Ti3C2-Fe3O4@SiO2-FA) is also developed to provide synergetic anticancer with magnetic controlling ability along with pH-responsive drug release. A xenograft model of the cervix was used to investigate the effects of Cisplatin alone, or in combination with Ti3C2@FA and Ti3C2@ Fe3O4@SiO2-FA, on tumor growth following histological staining for evaluation of necrosis.Result and Discussion: A significant tumor-growth suppression effect is shown when the Ti3C2-Fe3O4@SiO2-FA nanocarrier is magnetically controlled Cisplatin drug release. It reveals a synergistic therapeutic efficacy used in conjunction with pharmaceuticals (p &lt; .001). According to the in vivo study, the Ti3C2@FA@Cisplatin nanocomposite exhibits less tumor growth than the drug alone or Ti3C2@FA@Cisplatin via increasing necrosis effect (p &lt; .001). Through this study, Mxene nanosheets are expanded for biomedical applications, not only through the fabrication of biocompatible magnetic Mxene nanocomposite but also through the development of functionalization strategies that enable the magnetic Ti3C2 nanocomposite to load high levels of Cisplatin for cervical cancer treatment (242.5%). Hence, Ti3C2-Fe3O4@SiO2-FA nanocarriers would be promising candidates to improve cancer treatment efficiency