Search

Resumo Nos últimos anos, uma série de movimentos de dados abertos tem surgido ao redor do mundo, assegurando aos cidadãos mais oportunidades para acessar informações, sendo a transparência um fator associado à confiança nas organizações públicas e no governo. A transparência em algoritmos traduz-se no conhecimento dos passos realizados e critérios adotados para a obtenção de determinado resultado. O objetivo deste estudo consiste em identificar as características de transparência e accountability do sistema eletrônico de votação brasileiro. Por meio do estudo de caso, foram confrontadas recomendações e boas práticas de transparência - que propiciam controle e fiscalização por parte da sociedade em algoritmos - com as particularidades do sistema de votação eletrônico brasileiro. Este estudo avança na discussão da influência das novas tecnologias na democracia, situando o sistema eletrônico de votação brasileiro nos limites da transparência e accountability de algoritmos e do governo em geral. Resumen En los últimos años, han surgido varios movimientos de datos abiertos en todo el mundo, que garantizan a los ciudadanos más oportunidades para acceder a la información, y la transparencia es un factor asociado con la confianza en las organizaciones públicas y el gobierno. La transparencia en los algoritmos se traduce en el conocimiento de los pasos realizados y los criterios adoptados para obtener un resultado determinado. El objetivo de este estudio es identificar las características de transparencia y responsabilidad del sistema electoral electrónico brasileño. A través del estudio de caso, las recomendaciones y las buenas prácticas de transparencia se confrontaron con las particularidades del sistema electoral electrónico brasileño, que proporciona control y supervisión por parte de la sociedad en algoritmos. Este estudio avanza en la discusión sobre la influencia de las nuevas tecnologías en la democracia, colocando el sistema electoral electrónico brasileño dentro de los límites de transparencia y responsabilidad de los algoritmos y del gobierno en general. Abstract In recent years a number of open data movements have emerged around the world, ensuring citizens more opportunities to access information, transparency being a factor associated with trust in public organizations and government. The transparency in algorithms translates into the knowledge of the steps performed and the criteria adopted to obtain a certain result. The objective of this study is to identify the characteristics of transparency and accountability of the Brazilian electronic voting system. Through the case study, recommendations and good practices of transparency in algorithms were examined with the particularities of the Brazilian electronic voting system, which provides control and oversight to society. This study advances the discussion on the influence of new technologies on democracy, placing the Brazilian electronic voting system within the limits of transparency and accountability of algorithms and the government in general.

Resumo Nos últimos anos, uma série de movimentos de dados abertos tem surgido ao redor do mundo, assegurando aos cidadãos mais oportunidades para acessar informações, sendo a transparência um fator associado à confiança nas organizações públicas e no governo. A transparência em algoritmos traduz-se no conhecimento dos passos realizados e critérios adotados para a obtenção de determinado resultado. O objetivo deste estudo consiste em identificar as características de transparência e accountability do sistema eletrônico de votação brasileiro. Por meio do estudo de caso, foram confrontadas recomendações e boas práticas de transparência - que propiciam controle e fiscalização por parte da sociedade em algoritmos - com as particularidades do sistema de votação eletrônico brasileiro. Este estudo avança na discussão da influência das novas tecnologias na democracia, situando o sistema eletrônico de votação brasileiro nos limites da transparência e accountability de algoritmos e do governo em geral.

Gastric adenocarcinoma (GAC) is the third leading global cause of cancer mortality and leading infection-associated cancer. The high incidence regions are Latin America, East Asia, and Eastern Europe. In the U.S., GAC represents a major cancer disparity, double the incidence rates in all non-white populations, the opposite of Barrett’s Esophagus and EAC. Immigrants from high incidence regions maintain the risk profile of their nations of origin. In a paradigm shift, recent guidelines now recommend surveillance endoscopy (eg, 3 years) for patients with high-risk gastric premalignant conditions (GPMCs). Clinical trials of chemoprevention agents for patients with GPMCs are lacking. We conducted two independent, NCI DCP funded, phase II placebo-controlled chemoprevention trials in patients with GPMCs (intestinal metaplasia, atrophic gastritis). The oral agents were curcumin and eflornithine (DFMO). A highly bioavailable preparation of curcumin was used. The RCTs were conducted in Puerto Rico and rural Honduras, with important characteristics: (1) representative of Caribbean and Mesoamerican populations and linked to large U.S. immigrant populations; (2) high prevalence of H. pylori infection and GPMCs; (3) absence of turmeric and curcuminoids in the local diets; (4) proven bidirectional collaboration with academic institutions in the U.S. In the curcumin trial (NCT02782949) H. pylori negative patients were randomized to study drug or placebo for 6 months. In the eflornithine study (NCT02794428), H. pylori positive and negative subjects were randomized to study drug or placebo for 18 months, with endoscopy at baseline, and 6. 18, and 24 months. The primary outcomes were based upon changes in histologic parameters at 6 months. Principal study challenges included: (1) International and bilingual regulatory environment; (2) Strengthening of the research infrastructure, particularly in Central America; (3) Participant recruitment, eg, in the curcumin RCT in Honduras wherein only 10-15% are H. pylori negative; (4) The Covid-19 pandemic; (5) Natural disasters (3 hurricanes). In Conclusion: Eflornithine and curcumin RCTs have been successfully completed, despite important challenges in implementation and execution. No losses to follow-up were encountered related to the pandemic or natural disasters. The south-south partnership may provide a model for chemoprevention and translational studies in Latino populations with prevalent cancers such as GAC. Citation Format: Eleazar Montalvan-Sanchez, Maria Gonzalez-Pons, Dalton Norwood, Ricardo Dominguez, Keith Wilson, Marcia Cruz-Correa, Douglas Morgan. Successful design and execution of two gastric cancer chemoprevention trials in Central America and Puerto Rico [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the Second Biennial NCI Meeting: Translational Advances in Cancer Prevention Agent Development (TACPAD); 2022 Sep 7-9. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Can Prev Res 2022;15(12 Suppl_2): Abstract nr A016.

The purpose of this research study was to investigate how mentoring is measured and assessed in the workplace by reviewing and synthesizing qualitative, quantitative and mixed methods studies that appear in the professional literature. Mentoring programs are common practice in the workplace. The one-on-one nature of a formal mentoring program creates outcomes that benefit the protégé throughout their career in three ways: onboarding, retention at an organization, and career advancement. However, mentoring programs are expensive, both in terms of direct monetary cost and the time it takes to complete the tasks associated with mentoring, making measurement of outcomes critical for organizations. The primary question of this study was: how do organizations assess the outcomes of mentoring programs? There were three sub-questions that will provide the details to the primary question: what are the assessed outcomes of mentoring programs; what quantitative measures and scales do organizations use to assess mentoring programs; how do organizations qualitatively assess mentoring programs? The study was conducted using a systematic multiple studies review (MSR) to answer the research questions. The researcher followed the seven steps of the MSR process as outlined by Petticrew and Roberts (2006). The researcher used the systematic process to narrow an initial search result of 4,795 articles down to the final twenty which included qualitative, quantitative and mixed methods research written between 2012 and 2018 about outcomes of participants in formal mentor programs in the business environment. The key results found during this study were that organizations have measured mentor program outcomes by focusing on seven key themes: career resilience, career success, employee engagement, mutual development, personal learning, protégé satisfaction and professional exposure. Of those themes, the most measured outcome themes by quantitative methods were career success, professional exposure and personal learning. Qualitative assessment in the studies used in this MSR focused on career success and mutual development. Fifteen of the seventeen qualitative studies in this MSR measured outcomes of mentoring by survey of the protégé and/or mentor. The remaining two qualitative studies measured outcomes by extant data. Both qualitative studies assessed mentoring outcomes via interview. The mixed methods study used both interview and survey. The desired benefits and the expense of formal mentoring programs show the importance of evaluating the outcomes. This MSR shows that mentoring can be evaluated successfully using quantitative methods, especially by survey, and qualitatively, especially by interview. When determining what to evaluate, an organization needs to consider which outcomes to focus on then align their study to those specific themes, as the studies in this MSR have modeled. Rather than focusing on only the quality of the mentoring experience or satisfaction with mentoring, evaluation should focus tying the mentoring experience to outcomes like job satisfaction, level of employee engagement, and adjustment to new job environments to show the organizational impact of a formal mentor program.

Dissertação (mestrado)—Universidade de Brasília, Faculdade de Economia, Administração, Contabilidade e Gestão de Políticas Públicas, Programa de Pós-Graduação em Administração, Mestrado Profissional em Administração Pública, 2020. O avanço tecnológico vem introduzindo um novo tipo de racionalização no setor público pelo uso das modernas tecnologias de informação e comunicação (TICs), acarretando mudanças em políticas públicas, processos e funções. Cada vez mais os serviços públicos têm sido disponibilizados no meio digital, aumentando a dependência do cidadão em relação aos seus resultados. Ocorre que os resultados e decisões oriundos de sistemas ou processos automatizados são pouco transparentes e dificultam eventual contestação em caso de resultados indevidos. A transparência e accountability de sistemas e algoritmos tem por finalidade proteger o usuário contra resultados indesejáveis ou prejudiciais e assegurar a aplicação das leis ao meio digital. Assim, o objetivo do estudo é verificar a transparência e accountability proporcionada ao cidadão em serviços públicos digitais (eserviços) oferecidos pela Administração Pública Federal brasileira. Adotando uma abordagem qualitativa, a pesquisa avaliou três serviços públicos digitais brasileiros (ComprasNet, Sisu e Naturalizar-se) a fim de avaliar o tratamento que tais serviços vêm dispensando à transparência e accountability. As avaliações foram conduzidas por meio de entrevistas realizadas com gestores de cada sistema, seguindo roteiro de avaliação criado em fase piloto, devidamente validado por juízes, à luz do teste de coeficiente de validação de conteúdo - CVC. As entrevistas foram estudadas pelo método de análise de conteúdo com o apoio de estatísticas textuais. Os elementos colhidos na pesquisa permitiram a construção de um modelo de avaliação de transparência e accountability em serviços públicos digitais composto por 8 dimensões (acessibilidade; consciência; acesso e reparação; accountability; explicação; origem dos dados, privacidade e justiça; auditoria; validação, precisão e teste) e 35 itens de análise. As evidências encontradas na pesquisa demonstram uma preocupação do poder público em oferecer um serviço digital mais célere e eficiente, sem proporcionar mecanismos de transparência e accountability adequados. Os resultados indicam obstáculos técnicos e econômicos (aumento do custo e complexidade) para a promoção da consciência do usuário quanto aos passos seguidos por um serviço público digital. Os resultados obtidos e os procedimentos adotados nessa pesquisa são relevantes para a prática dos gestores públicos que desejam avaliar a transparência e accountability de serviços públicos digitais. As dimensões e itens de análise utilizados permitem esquadrinhar a transparência em serviços públicos digitais proporcionando a reaplicação futura e consequente comparação com outros serviços. A contribuição teórica pode ser creditada à combinação inédita dos critérios estudados a fim de se estudar a transparência de um serviço público digital, com vistas à promoção da accountability. Technological advances have been introducing a new type of rationalization in the public sector through the use of modern information and communication technologies (ICTs), leading to changes in public policies, processes and functions. Increasingly, public services have been made available in the digital environment, increasing the citizen's dependence on their results. Results and decisions coming from automated systems or processes are not very transparent and hard to challenge in case of undue results. The transparency and accountability of the system and algorithms aims to protect the user against undesirable or harmful results and to ensure the application of laws to the digital environment. Thus, the objective of the study is to verify the transparency and accountability provided to the citizen in digital public services (e-services) offered by the Brazilian Federal Public Administration. Adopting a qualitative approach, the research evaluated three Brazilian digital public services (ComprasNet, Sisu and Naturalizar-se) in order to evaluate the treatment that these services have been giving to transparency and accountability. The evaluations were conducted through interviews with managers of each system, following an evaluation script created in a pilot phase, validated by judges, in light of the content validation coefficient test - CVC. The interviews were studied using the content analysis method with the support of textual statistics. The elements collected in the research allowed the construction of a model for assessing transparency and accountability in digital public services composed of 8 dimensions (accessibility; awareness; access and repair; accountability; explanation; data source, privacy and justice; audit; validation, accuracy and testing) and 35 items of analysis. The evidence found in the research demonstrates a concern of the public authorities in offering a faster and more efficient digital service, without providing adequate transparency and accountability mechanisms. The results indicate technical and economic obstacles (increased cost and complexity) to promote the user's awareness of the steps followed by a digital public service. The results obtained and the procedures adopted in this research are relevant to the practice of public managers who wish to assess the transparency and accountability of digital public services. The dimensions and items of analysis make it possible to scan transparency in digital public services, providing future reapplication and consequent comparison with other services. The theoretical contribution can be credited to the unprecedented combination of the studied criteria in order to study the transparency of a digital public service, with a view to promoting accountability.

X-ray binaries exhibit a wide range of properties but there are few accepted methods to determine the nature of the compact object. Color-Color-Intensity diagrams have been suggested as a means of distinguishing between systems containing black holes from those containing neutron stars. However, this technique has been verified with data from only one instrument (RXTE/ASM) with a single set of X-ray colors defined using data available only in pre-determined energy bands. We test a selection of X-ray colors with a more sensitive instrument to determine the reliability of this method. We use data from the MAXI Gas Slit Camera, which allows users to specify energy-bands. We test X-ray colors that have been previously defined in the literature as well as ones that we define specifically in this paper. A representative set of systems are used to construct Color-Color-Intensity diagrams in each set of colors to determine which are best for separating different classes. For studying individual sources certain bands are more effective than others. For a specified energy range, the separation of soft states in black hole binaries was possible only where both soft and hard colors included information from the lowest energy band. We confirm that Color-Color-Intensity diagrams can distinguish between systems containing black holes or neutron stars in all X-ray colors tested; this suggests an universality in the accretion processes governing these different classes. We suggest possible physical processes driving different classes of X-ray binaries to different locations in Color-Color-Intensity diagrams., Comment: 23 pages, 19 figures. Accepted in New Astronomy

Altres ajuts: The author(s) disclosed receipt of the following financial support for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article: This research received no specific grant from any funding agency in the public, commercial, or not-for-profit sectors. The development of standardized data collection as part of routine clinical care through Multiple Sclerosis Partners Advancing Technology and Health Solutions (MS PATHS) was developed and implemented at CC, JH, and CEMCAT in partnership with Biogen. Biogen did not have involvement in study design, data analysis or interpretation, or manuscript preparation. People with multiple sclerosis (MS) may be at higher risk for complications from the 2019 coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic due to use of immunomodulatory disease modifying therapies (DMTs) and greater need for medical services. To evaluate risk factors for COVID-19 susceptibility and describe the pandemic's impact on healthcare delivery. Surveys sent to MS patients at Cleveland Clinic, Johns Hopkins, and Vall d'Hebron-Centre d'Esclerosi Múltiple de Catalunya in April and May 2020 collected information about comorbidities, DMTs, exposures, COVID-19 testing/outcomes, health behaviors, and disruptions to MS care. There were 3028/10,816 responders. Suspected or confirmed COVID-19 cases were more likely to have a known COVID-19 contact (odds ratio (OR): 4.38; 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.04, 18.54). In multivariable-adjusted models, people who were younger, had to work on site, had a lower education level, and resided in socioeconomically disadvantaged areas were less likely to follow social distancing guidelines. 4.4% reported changes to therapy plans, primarily delays in infusions, and 15.5% a disruption to rehabilitative services. Younger people with lower socioeconomic status required to work on site may be at higher exposure risk and are potential targets for educational intervention and work restrictions to limit exposure. Providers should be mindful of potential infusion delays and MS care disruption.

The distribution of hot interstellar medium in early-type galaxies bears the imprint of the various astrophysical processes it underwent during its evolution. The X-ray observations of these galaxies have identified various structural features related to AGN and stellar feedback and environmental effects such as merging and sloshing. In our XMM-Newton Galaxy Atlas (NGA) project, we analyze archival observations of 38 ETGs, utilizing the high sensitivity and large field of view of XMM-Newton to construct spatially resolved 2D spectral maps of the hot gas halos. To illustrate our NGA data products in conjunction with the Chandra Galaxy Atlas (Kim et al. 2019), we describe two distinct galaxies - NGC 4636 and NGC 1550, in detail. We discuss their evolutionary history with a particular focus on the asymmetric distribution of metal-enriched, low-entropy gas caused by sloshing and AGN- driven uplift. We will release the NGA data products to a dedicated website, which users can download to perform further analyses., 19 pages, 6 figures, 2 tables. Accepted for publication in ApJS. The data-products along with the quick look results are here: https://cxc.cfa.harvard.edu/GalaxyAtlas/NGA/v1/

To increase adherence with intensive care unit mobility by developing and implementing a mobility training program that addresses nursing barriers to early mobilisation.An intensive care unit mobility training program was developed, implemented and evaluated with a pre-test, immediate post-test and eight-week post-test. Patient mobility was tracked before and after training.A ten bed cardiac intensive care unit.The training program's efficacy was measured by comparing pre-test, immediate post-test and 8-week post-test scores. Patient mobilisation rates before and after training were compared. Protocol compliance was measured in the post training group.Nursing knowledge increased from pre-test to immediate post-test (p0.0001) and pre-test to 8-week post-test (p0.0001). Mean test scores decreased by seven points from immediate post-test (80±12) to 8-week post-test (73±14). Fear significantly decreased from pre-test to immediate post-test (p=0.03), but not from pre-test to 8-week post-test (p=0.06) or immediate post-test to 8-week post-test (p=0.46). Post training patient mobility rates increased although not significantly (p=0.07). Post training protocol compliance was 78%.The project successfully increased adherence with intensive care unit mobility and indicates that a training program could improve adoption of early mobility.

Objectives Trauma is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide, with a disproportionate burden of illness in low- and middle- income countries. This study sought to provide a proof-of-concept pilot study to evaluate the feasibility of a trauma registry in the Western Honduras Hospital. Methods A cross-sectional, observation study was performed that included all admitted, transferred, or deceased trauma patients presenting to the Western Honduras Hospital from February 4, 2019 until April 4, 2019. Descriptive statistics were utilized to describe patient demographics and injury characteristics. Results 268 patients were enrolled. The average age was 27.5 years (SD ±21.3). 10% of injuries were due to interpersonal violence. The most common mechanisms of injury were falls (33.6%) and motor vehicle collisions (MVCs) (22.4%). The mean Modified Kampala Trauma Score (M-KTS) was 12 (SD ±1.4). The mortality rate was 1.1% (N = 3). 94.5% of data points were complete. Conclusions A continuous injury surveillance system in the Western Honduras Hospital is feasible and provides valuable information. The data completeness was suboptimal, but the current data collection system may be improved via modifying and utilizing the registry form as both a clinical and data collection instrument.

Aims The aim of the study was to examine ventricular remodelling in patients free of cardiac risk factors, before, and 6 months post-bariatric surgery with the new imaging modality of three-dimensional (3D) strain and the comparison of two surgical techniques: sleeve gastrectomy vs. gastric bypass. Methods and results Fifty-two consecutive patients referred to the Bariatric Services of Imperial College NHS Trust were examined with conventional 2D and 3D strain echocardiography, prior to and 6 months after bariatric surgery. They were all free from cardiac disease. The study cohort's mean age was 44.2 ± 8.7 years and body mass index of 42.4 ± 4.6 g/m2 prior to surgery. Eighteen patients (34.6%) underwent laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy, and 34 laparoscopic gastric bypass. On 3D speckle tracking, there was significant reverse remodelling post-bariatric surgery [left ventricular (LV) ejection fraction (EF): pre-surgery: 59 ± 8% vs. post-surgery: 67 ± 7%, P < 0.001 and right ventricular (RV) EF: pre-surgery: 60 ± 9% vs. post-surgery: 68 ± 8.2%, P = 0.0001]. Furthermore, there was significant regression of mass (LV mass: pre-surgery: 111 ± 23.5 g vs. post-surgery: 92.8 ± 15.5 g and RV mass: pre-surgery: 95.2 ± 19.8 vs. post-surgery: 67.3 ± 16.3, P < 0.001). RV and LV global strain improved 6 months post-bariatric surgery: global RV strain: pre-surgery −11.7 ± 4 vs. post-surgery −17.52 ± 3.7, P < 0.001; global LV strain: pre-surgery: −20.2 ± 1.7 vs. post-surgery: −26.5 ± 1.86, P < 0.001. Sleeve gastrectomy and gastric bypass had comparable effects. Conclusion Bariatric surgery has an important effect in reverse LV and RV remodelling and it substantially improves RV longitudinal strain.

Acute cold exposure results in impaired cognitive function by diverting attention away from the primary task and reducing vigilance. Repeated exposure to cold stress induces physiological changes such as decreased skin temperature and a delayed onset of shivering in an effort to reduce heat loss and conserve energy during subsequent cold exposures. It is unclear if repeated exposure to cold attenuates the decrease in cognitive function typically seen during acute cold exposure. PURPOSE:To determine if cognitive function during acute cold exposure is changed following repeated immersions in cold water. METHODS: Eight healthy volunteers (age: 25.9 ± 6.4 years, height: 172.7 ± 6.3 cm, weight: 74.9 ± 11.4 kg) completed seven 90-minute cold water immersions in 10°C water. Subjects completed the psychomotor vigilance task (PVT) during the 1st, 4th, and 7th cold water immersion at several time points (pre, 5 min, 30 min, 60 min, 90 min). Core temperature, heart rate, skin temperature (Tsk), thermal sensation, and skin blood flow were collected during each heat trial. RESULTS: Significantly reduced skin temperature and a delayed onset of shivering were observed during the 7th cold water immersion when compared with the 1st, suggesting that acclimation to cold occurred. Reaction time (RT) (pre=263±7 msec, 5 min=268±12 msec, 30 min=278±10 msec, 60 min=294±7 msec, 90 min=291±8 msec; p

Background: Investigators aim to publish their research papers in top journals to disseminate their findings to the widest possible audience. Systematic reviews of the literature occupy the highest position in currently proposed hierarchies of evidence. We hypothesized that the number of citations (a measure of scholarly interest) for systematic reviews (or meta-analyses) published in leading orthopaedic journals would be greater than the number of citations for narrative reviews published in the same journals. Methods: We identified fifteen journals that had high Science Citation Index impact factors for the orthopaedic subspecialty and were believed to have a higher yield of studies and reviews of scientific merit and clinical relevance. For the year 2000, six research associates applied methodological criteria to each article in each issue of the fifteen journals to determine whether the article was scientifically sound (rigorous versus nonrigorous). Of the 3916 articles identified, 2331 were original or review articles. We queried the ISI (Institute for Scientific Information) Web of Science database to ascertain, as of March 2003, the number of subsequent citations to each one of the reviews after its original publication in all journals that published both narrative and systematic reviews. Results: Of the 2331 articles published across the fifteen journals in the year 2000, 110 were review articles. Only seventeen (15%) of the 110 reviews met our criteria for systematic reviews with rigor. Rigorous systematic reviews received more than twice the mean number of citations compared with other systematic or narrative reviews (13.8 compared with 6.0, p = 0.008). The rigor of a review was a significant predictor of the number of citations in other orthopaedic journals (p = 0.01). In addition, rigor was significantly associated with the number of citations in nonorthopaedic journals (p = 0.03). Conclusions: Our findings suggest that journal editors and authors can improve the relevance and scholarly interest in their reviews (as shown by the number of citations) by meeting standard guidelines for methodological rigor.