ABSTRACT
The interview brings narratives and experiences of research and studies on carnival in the academic environment in the areas of anthropology, arts, and literature. The trajectories of professors Felipe Ferreira (Arts Institute/UERJ), Fred Góes (Postgraduate Program in Literature Science/UFRJ), and Maria Laura Cavalcanti (Postgraduate Program in Sociology and Anthropology/UFRJ) address the potential for theoretical innovation brought by approaching carnival in the human and social sciences, unfolding a path opened by the pioneering work of anthropologist Roberto DaMatta in the 1970s. The dialogue between different disciplinary perspectives on carnival reveals its multiple planes and broad social worlds. It reveals ideologies, worldviews, forms of art and culture, networks of relationships and national and transnational cultural exchanges that illuminate, in an always surprising way, the contemporary social dynamics. The interview is based on the testimonials brought during the fruitful conversation promoted in 2020 by the UFPE's Museológicas podcast. It also reflects on the COVID-19 pandemic impact on this great Brazilian celebration. © 2022,Sociologia e Antropologia. All Rights Reserved.
ABSTRACT
Currently, employee retention is a critical aspect of people management, especially in the context of pandemics or post-pandemics, where job insecurity and job destruction challenge workers' trust in leadership and organisational support. Using survey data treated with structural equation models, this study explores, in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, the direct and indirect effects on turnover intentions of trust in leadership and perceived organisational support, using the mediating effect of job satisfaction. The results reveal that job satisfaction and perceived organisational support have a negative impact on turnover intention, but less that what was expected. The results obtained in the context of COVID-19 delivers important insights related to changes of employees' perceptions, their relations with the organisation and its impact in the turnover intention. © 2022 Inderscience Enterprises Ltd.
ABSTRACT
Cationic surfactants have gained significant interest since their introduction. Their properties and adsorption behavior onto different surfaces have driven the development of a plethora of surfactants with distinctive functionalities. This paper reviews self-assembly, intermolecular interactions, and the properties of cationic surfactants also when interacting with co-solutes, which may be small molecules or macromolecules, and surfaces. The versatile properties of single- and double-chain cationic surfactants and other special cationics such as gemini, catanionic, bolaform, amino acid- and sugar-based surfactants, are presented and discussed together with skin toxicity and environmental considerations. The effects of cationic surfactant mixing with other surfactants, polymers, proteins, and DNA are also shown and examined. We also outline established applications of cationic surfactants as disinfectants, in fabric softening, hard surface cleaning, personal care applications, road surfacing, and oil field applications, as well as emerging applications such as soft antimicrobial agents and nucleic acid delivery, which has contributed, for instance, to the enormously successful surfactant-based mRNA COVID-19 vaccines. © 2023 Elsevier B.V.
ABSTRACT
Currently, employee retention is a critical aspect of people management, especially in the context of pandemics or post-pandemics, where job insecurity and job destruction challenge workers' trust in leadership and organisational support. Using survey data treated with structural equation models, this study explores, in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, the direct and indirect effects on turnover intentions of trust in leadership and perceived organisational support, using the mediating effect of job satisfaction. The results reveal that job satisfaction and perceived organisational support have a negative impact on turnover intention, but less that what was expected. The results obtained in the context of COVID-19 delivers important insights related to changes of employees' perceptions, their relations with the organisation and its impact in the turnover intention.
ABSTRACT
The insurance industry plays a crucial role in developing a country’s economy, thus becoming one of the main focuses when studying the possible impacts of the current public health crisis. Accordingly, the main objective of this study is to investigate the COVID-19 impact on non-life insurance profitability of the Portuguese insurance sector. This study also intends to assess the explaining factors of insurance companies’ profitability on the period between 2004/2020. The methodology implemented was a multiple linear regression, using a panel data model with random effects. The sample consists of a total of 238 observations from 14 non-life insurers over 17 years. The results revealed that COVID-19 positively impacted the profitability of the insurance companies presented. However, this impact was only significant on the return on assets. Furthermore, the results showed an inverse and meaningful relationship between the profitability ratios and the variables leverage and loss ratio. Copyright © 2022 Inderscience Enterprises Ltd.
ABSTRACT
In the context of the Covid-19 pandemic, the challenges for the teaching of history found, in technology, new support, but also contradictions. With a new perspective on the teaching of the discipline, anchored in the theoretical field of Historical Education, the work based on the epistemology of History started to demand from historian teachers a practice in which the relationship with historical sources is fundamental. In this way, the idea of a historical source was further expanded, as the web contains an infinite number of materials that can be conceived as historical documents. In addition, the use of the internet as a means of interaction between different subjects in the schooling process presupposed a relationship in which technology needed to be redefined due to the possibility of support, but also ask for its influence as a disseminator of superficial and skeptical ideas regarding the scientific knowledge.
ABSTRACT
Despite representing a recent world trend, wedding tourism felt a growth of 75% the past few years, which shows this market, specifically, the destination weddings niche, is proving to have an optimistic development and becoming a relevant topic in events tourism. The research objective analyses how the destination weddings have contributed for the development of events tourism in Portugal by examining what tactics are being utilised towards an international positioning. A quantitative method was used to achieve the objectives, being that two distinct surveys were elaborated, to foreign couples and another to vendors that take part in the industry. The data triangulation method was adopted with the goal of obtaining robust results by gathering a broader source of data. The results show that the destination weddings market contributes positively to the expansion of the events tourism in Portugal. Couples tend to choose Portugal for their climate, impressive sites and sense of intimacy, but the country needs to improve the transaction payments and present a wider range of advertisement. Regarding Covid-19, it had a negative influence mainly because most foreign couples decided to postpone or cancel the wedding. Copyright © 2022 Inderscience Enterprises Ltd.
ABSTRACT
The pandemic has been a serious concern since its arrival in early 2020 around the globe. The aim of this research is to study the decay of the food and beverage industry, facing the pandemic of Covid-19. Throughout this research we have studied the classification of our sample, the fears and discomforts of our respondents regarding the new reality faced and the routine alteration of inquiries and by extension the impacted in the industry. In order to respond to these questions, we have based our investigation in the conception of a survey we have distributed and analysed a predictive model and clustering analysis. The findings drawn in this study were meaningful and lead us to the confirmation of the biggest fears and discomfort reasons when attending restaurants in a pandemic context but also the causes that make individuals reconsider their attendance in restaurant establishments. Copyright © 2022 Inderscience Enterprises Ltd.
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Wide variation in mortality rates among critically ill patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has been reported. This study evaluated whether healthcare-associated infections (HAI) are a risk factor for death among patients with severe COVID-19 in the intensive care unit (ICU). METHODS: This retrospective cohort study included patients with severe COVID-19 hospitalized in the ICU of four hospitals in the city of Curitiba, Brazil. Patients with COVID-19 who died during ICU hospitalization were compared with those who were discharged. A second analysis compared patients who developed HAI in the ICU with those who did not. Multiple logistic regression models were used to control for confounders. RESULTS: In total, 400 patients were included, and 123 (31%) patients developed HAI. The most common HAI was lower respiratory tract infection (67%). Independent risk factors for death were: age [odds ratio (OR) 1.75, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.43-2.15; P<0.0001]; clinical severity score (OR 2.21, 95% CI 1.70-2.87; P<0.0001); renal replacement therapy (OR 12.8, 95% CI 5.78-28.6; P<0.0001); and HAI (OR 5.9, 95% CI 3.31-10.5; P<0.0001). A longer interval between symptom onset and hospital admission was protective against death (OR 0.93, 95% CI 0.88-0.98; P=0.017). The only independent factors associated with HAI were high C-reactive protein and low PaO2/FiO2 ratio. CONCLUSIONS: No factors that could point to a high-risk group for HAI acquisition were identified. However, age, dialysis and HAI increased the risk of death in ICU patients with severe COVID-19; of these, HAI is the only preventable risk factor.
Subject(s)
COVID-19 , Cross Infection , Delivery of Health Care , Humans , Intensive Care Units , Renal Dialysis , Retrospective Studies , Risk FactorsABSTRACT
In this paper, a review of the current status and future perspectives for reinforced glass fiber waste is undertaken, as well as an evaluation of the management hierarchy for these end-of-life materials. Waste levels are expected to increase in the coming years, but an improvement of collection routes is still necessary. The recycling processes for these materials are presented. The associated advantages and disadvantages, as well as the corresponding mechanical characteristics, are described. Although mechanical shredding is currently the most used process, there is a potential for thermal processes to be more competitive than others due to the fiber quality after the recycling process. However, the energy requirements of each of the processes are not yet well explained, which compromises the determination of the economic value of the recycled fibers when included in other products, as well as the process feasibility. Nevertheless, the work of some authors that successfully integrated recycled glass fibers into other elements with increased mechanical properties is evaluated. Future recommendations for the recycling of glass fiber and its commercialization are made.
ABSTRACT
Every day, companies are exposed to various risks arising from their environment, and small and medium enterprises (SMEs) are the most affected. This study emphasizes innovation and resilience as the starting points to understand how SMEs are influenced by external factors which are independent of the managers’ will. To date, we have seen several extreme factors that have conditioned businesses and entrepreneurs of these types of companies, such as the financial crisis of 2008. However, last year, in 2020, we saw the beginning of a worldwide pandemic: COVID-19. Thus, this research seeks to understand the extent to which this pandemic influenced the resilience and innovation of SMEs in the tourism area. Thus, eight hypotheses were raised based on four independent variables: access to finance, risk taking, working conditions, and personal network. The study of these variables was developed from an online questionnaire and in-depth interviews. After analyzing the results, it is possible to infer that the COVID-19 pandemic resulted in consequences never observed in previous crises, to such an extent that the study showed that: (1) a company’s network positively influences its resilience;(2) risk taking influences innovation and resilience of these SMEs. © 2022 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.
ABSTRACT
Objectives: The objective of this study focused on several issues. Firstly, on the fight against corruption through the improvement of the control of public accounts;secondly, on the monitoring carried out by the public compliance sector and, finally, on the promotion of blockchain technology for data mining and government contracts to avoid a system in which corruption prevails due to lack of transparency. Methodology: The method followed for the realization of this scientific work has been analytical, which has been supported by doctrine, legislation and analysis of reports on the impact of Covid-19 in Brazil and Colombia. Results: This scientific work has shown that in order to guarantee a dignified life, health must be considered as the central axis, so that when there is poor management, this has repercussions on citizens, since it causes overload and imbalances in hospitals. In addition, it is proven that there is corruption in the system and this causes a malfunction of public services. On many occasions, there are suspicious purchases and contracts with the Public Administration due to lack of transparency and public control, negatively impacting on legal certainty and democratic stability. Contributions: The contribution of the research consists of presenting the negative impacts of corruption during the Covid-19 pandemic, as well as pointing out the implementation of blockchain technology for the control of public accounts. © 2021, Centro Universitario Curitiba - UNICURITIBA. All rights reserved.
ABSTRACT
The text proposes to analyze the management of the co-vid-19 crisis in the year 2020 by establishing some highlights of the public conduct of Chancellor Angela Merkel in Germany, and in dialogue with Max Weber's classic conferences “Science as a vocation” and “Politics as a vocation” of 1919. Finally, it allows for some contrasting aspects with the pandemic's conduct in the Global South, especially in Brazil, both in its collective and creative production, and in its neglect of science and politics, in the conduct of the current president. © 2021. All Rights Reserved.
ABSTRACT
Introduction: Lockdown during the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic forced an adaptation of health care delivery system. Teleconsultation (TC) is a measure that allows the continuity of access to medical care, minimizing the risk of infection. This study aims to analyse the impact of TC in Gastroenterology patients. Aims & Methods: Patients followed in the Gastroenterology service of Braga Hospital by TC between March and November 2020 were invited to answer a questionnaire. This was partially adapted from the modified Telemedicine Satisfaction Questionnaire (TSQm), including as well parameters with impact on daily life. Sociodemographic and clinical characteristics of the participants in the study were analysed. Results: One hundred and twenty patients participated, 60 with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD group) and 60 with liver cirrhosis (LC group). Regarding IBD group, 55% were female, with a mean age of 40.7 years. The most frequent level of education was college degree (40.0%), with the majority being employed (78.3%). In the LC group, 66.7% of the patients were male, with an average age of 64.2 years. Of these 81.7% had the basic level of education and 66.7% were retired. The average total TSQm score was 38.23±6.35 in the IBD group and 37.55±6.05 in the LC group, with 68.3% of the cases considering TC as a good experience. Significant impact on absenteeism was observed only in the IBD group, with at least 1 work period saved in 63.3% of the cases. In both groups, no differences were observed in the rate of flares/decompensations, hospitalizations or visits to the emergency department, between the study period of 2020 and the homologous period in 2019. Conclusion: TC is an effective method for follow-up of chronically ill patients, resulting in a high degree of user satisfaction and with an important impact on daily life. It has proven to be clinically safe, without negative consequences on the control of the underlying disease.
ABSTRACT
Objectives: The instant work investigates the effects of the COVID-19 pandemia on Brazilians entrepreneur, through analysis of two premises: (i) in 2020, the number of judicial reorganization requests would increase exponentially;(ii) the legislative measures promulgated by law #14,112/2020 upon law #11,101/2005, especially, the financing to debtors under judicial reorganization, would be useful and effective to the utilization of judicial recovery as a means of maintaining and preserving the company. Methodology: The deductive method was adopted, as from document research, as well as from analysis of data collected by other official statistical surveys and economic measurements. Results: It is appropriate to state that the sanitary measures for pandemia containment have deeply affected Brazilian entrepreneurs. However, the number of judicial reorganization requests has not increased, as expected, and the changes implemented upon bankruptcy legislation, as to debtor financing, have not yet proven efficient to foster the use of judicial reorganization. Contributions: Despite legal incentives created on behalf of debtor financing under judicial reorganization, there still is a high reputational cost to the entrepreneur which avails itself of this tool, turning the credit granted to this grantee more financially burdensome, on account of regulatory motivations. Finally, it can be mentioned that a judicial recovery request implies, to the debtor, the taking up of several obligations representing a significant tranche of expenses to the entrepreneur in distress, thereby discouraging such requests. © 2021, Centro Universitário Curitiba - UNICURITIBA. All rights reserved.
ABSTRACT
This case study aimed at mapping initiatives of social innovation that have promoted positive social capital during the COVID-19 pandemic in Brazil. To this end, information about the actions and their developers were collected online and further described using the forms "Light Format" and "In-Depth Format", from the toolkit developed by the Design for Social Innovation and Sustainability (DESIS) Network. In addition, interviews with the people involved in the projects were carried out in order to obtain further details. From the promising cases mapped, 15 were selected and categorized according to their field, coverage area and target. Finally, the initiatives were assessed based on the concepts of design for social innovation (Manzini, 2008) and design activism (Fuad Luke, 2009;Thorpe, 2012). The analysis showed that whether the actions proposed had the design framework conceptions as a theoretical basis or not, the projects indeed adopted design strategies to reach their goals, leading to positive impact in the social, economic and environmental areas and thus promoted positive social capital. © 2020 Universidade do Vale do Rio dos Sinos. All rights reserved.
ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE: To create specialized nursing terminology for the care of people with COVID-19. METHODS: Methodological study, carried out based on the identification of concepts related to the care of the person with the infection, present in the official guidelines of the Brazilian Ministry of Health;the concepts were validated by three specialist nurses;and a cross-mapping of the extracted concepts was done with CIPE® 2019 primitive concepts. RESULTS: Out of 436 unique concepts, being 399 of these validated;of these, 70.9% were in the Classification and referred to the nursing care of people with COVID-19. In the Axis, the concepts related to Focus, Action, and Environment stood out. As for the non-validated concepts, 78.4% were not included in the 2019 version of CIPE®. CONCLUSION: We were able to structure a specialized CIPE® terminology, with the potential to generate nursing care indicators for people with COVID-19.