Thesis (M.Ed. (Education Management)--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2008.

Το Μυελοδυσπλαστικό Σύνδρομο (ΜΔΣ) αποτελεί μια ετερογενή ομάδα κλωνικών αιματολογικών διαταραχών με κοινό χαρακτηριστικό τη μη αποδοτική αιμοποίηση που οδηγεί σε ανθεκτικές κυτταροπενίες και συχνή εκτροπή προς Οξεία Λευχαιμία (ΟΛ). Η παράδοξη συνύπαρξη ενός πληθωρικού ή νορμοκυτταρικού μυελού των οστών και κυτταροπενιών στην περιφέρεια έχει αποδοθεί στην αυξημένη απόπτωση προγονικών και ώριμων αιμοποιητικών κυττάρων του μυελού των ασθενών αυτών. Παρ'όλ'αυτά, αιτιοπαθογενετική σχέση της υπέρμετρης απόπτωσης με την ανεπαρκή κλωνογόνο ικανότητα των προγονικών αιμοποιητικών κυττάρων του μυελοδυσπλαστικού μυελού δεν τεκμηριώνεται επαρκώς από τα υπάρχοντα ερευνητικά δεδομένα. Αντίθετα, αδιαμφισβήτητη είναι η συσχέτιση της κατάργησης των μηχανισμών του προγραμματισμένου κυτταρικού θανάτου στο προχωρημένο ΜΔΣ με την εκτροπή της νόσου προς ΟΛ. Η αυξημένη έκφραση αντιαποπτωτικών πρωτεϊνών όπως οι Bcl-2, Bcl-xL, IAPs, survivin έχει προταθεί ότι υποστηρίζει την πρόοδο της νόσου και την επακόλουθη λευχαιμική εξέλιξη. Οι Heat Shock Proteins αποτελούν θεμελιώδεις πρωτεΐνες, ως προς τις αποφάσεις των κυττάρων σχετικά με την επιβίωση ή το θάνατό τους. Η Hsp73, ένα σταθερά εκφραζόμενο μέλος, και οι Hsps 72 και 27, δύο ισχυρά επαγόμενες από ποικίλα στρεσσογόνα ερεθίσματα πρωτεΐνες, είναι τρεις από τις πιο σημαντικές Hsps εκδηλώνοντας πολυδιάστατη αντι-αποπτωτική δράση και παρέχοντας ισχυρή κυτταροπροστασία. Σε αρκετά είδη συμπαγών όγκων αλλά και αιματολογικών κακοηθειών έχει δειχθεί υπερέκφραση των Hsps, ενώ έχει προταθεί ακόμη και αιτιοπαθογενετική σχέση της διαταραχής της έκφρασης των πρωτεϊνών αυτών με την ογκογένεση. Σκοπός της παρούσας εργασίας ήταν η εκτίμηση του βαθμού της απόπτωσης στα προγονικά και ώριμα κύτταρα μυελού ασθενών με ΜΔΣ και η περαιτέρω διερεύνηση της ουσιαστικής συνεισφοράς του φαινομένου στην ανεπαρκή κλωνογόνο ικανότητα των προγονικών κυττάρων και, κατ' επέκταση, στη μη αποδοτική αιμοποίηση που χαρακτηρίζει το σύνδρομο. Εν συνεχεία, διερευνήθηκαν οι αποπτωτικές μεταβολές κατά την πρόοδο της νόσου οι οποίες συσχετίσθηκαν με την έκφραση των αντι-αποπτωτικών Heat Shock Proteins. Η έκφραση των Hsps 72, 27 & 73 μελετήθηκε υπό συνθήκες ηρεμίας (βασική έκφραση, ΒΕ), ενώ ελέγχθηκε η επαγωγιμότητα των Hsps 72 και 27 κατόπιν εφαρμογής θερμικού shock ή ο-αποπτωτικής διέγερσης με συνδυασμό κυτταροκινών (TNFα+IFNγ). Η προσδιοριζόμενη έκφραση των Hsps συσχετίσθηκε, κατόπιν, με την απόπτωση και το στάδιο της νόσου. Η παρούσα μελέτη επιβεβαιώνει την παρουσία αυξημένης απόπτωσης τόσο στα ώριμα CD34- όσο και στα προγονικά CD34+ κύτταρα του μυελού ασθενών με ΜΔΣ με αξιοσημείωτη ετερογένεια να διέπει τα αποτελέσματα ακόμη και μεταξύ ασθενών της ίδιας κατά FAB κατηγορίας νόσου. Τα επίπεδα ανιχνευόμενης απόπτωσης υπερείχαν σημαντικά στο μυελό των ασθενών με "πρώιμη" (RA και RARS) έναντι εκείνων με "προχωρημένη" (RAEB και RAEB-t) νόσο, ενισχύοντας τη θεωρία της κατάργησης των αποπτωτικών μηχανισμών κατά την πρόοδο της νόσου. Μετά από 24 ώρες υγρής καλλιέργειας, το ποσοστό των ανιχνευόμενων πρώιμων αποπτωτικών CD34+ κυττάρων μυελού ασθενών με ΜΔΣ μειώθηκε σημαντικά. Προκειμένου να διερευνηθεί η πραγματική συμβολή της απόπτωσης στη μη αποδοτική αιμοποίηση του ΜΔΣ in vitro, αποπτωτικά και μη αποπτωτικά προγονικά CD34+ φρέσκα κύτταρα μυελού διαχωρίστηκαν με τη μέθοδο του Κυτταροδιαχωρισμού ενεργοποιούμενου από φθορισμό και τοποθετήθηκαν σε βραχείας διάρκειας ημιστερεές καλλιέργειες, όπου ελέγχθηκε η σχετική κλωνογόνος ικανότητά τους. Τόσο τα αποπτωτικά όσο και τα μη αποπτωτικά CD34+ κύτταρα των ασθενών με ΜΔΣ επέδειξαν εξίσου ανεπαρκή ανάπτυξη in vitro, υποδεικνύοντας ότι η παρουσία απόπτωσης δεν επηρεάζει σημαντικά τη συμπεριφορά των κυττάρων στην καλλιέργεια. Η βασική ενδοκυττάρια έκφραση των αντιαποπτωτικών Hsps 27, 72 και 73 βρέθηκε σημαντικά αυξημένη στο μυελό ασθενών με ΜΔΣ. Η υπερέκφραση των Hsps αφορούσε κυρίως τα ολικά μονοπύρηνα κύτταρα του μυελού των ασθενών, ενώ τα προγονικά CD34+ κύτταρα δεν επέδειξαν σημαντικά υψηλότερα επίπεδα των υπό μελέτη πρωτεϊνών. Επιπλέον, η εφαρμογή θερμικού shock οδήγησε επιτυχώς στην επαγωγή των Hsps 27 και 72 στο μυελό ασθενών και μαρτύρων, προσεγγίζοντας όμως υψηλότερα τελικά επίπεδα έκφρασης στο μυελό των ασθενών. Tόσο η βασική όσο και η εκ θερμικού stress επαγόμενη έκφραση της Hsp72 βρέθηκε σημαντικά ενισχυμένη στα μονοπύρηνα κύτταρα του μυελού ασθενών με "προχωρημένου τύπου" ΜΔΣ, ενώ σημαντικά θετική συσχέτιση τεκμηριώθηκε μεταξύ της έκφρασης ηρεμίας των τριών Hsps και του ποσοστού των βλαστών του μυελού των ασθενών. Τα ευρήματα αυτά υποδηλώνουν ενδεχόμενο ρόλο της υπερέκφρασης των Hsps στην ευνοϊκή επιλογή και εξάπλωση των κλωνικών κυττάρων και, συνεπακόλουθα, στην πρόοδο της νόσου. Η συνδυασμένη επίδραση κυτταροκινών σε κύτταρα φυσιολογικών μυελών οδήγησε σε σημαντική μείωση της έκφρασης της Hsp72, ενώ στο 36% των ασθενών παρατηρήθηκε αύξηση της έκφρασης της Hsp72. Τέλος, αρνητική ήταν η συσχέτιση της βασικής ή επαγόμενης έκφρασης των Hsps με την αυτόματη ή προκλητή απόπτωση σε ολικά ή προγονικά κύτταρα μυελού ασθενών με ΜΔΣ, επιβεβαιώνοντας τον κυτταροπροστατευτικό τους ρόλο. Συνοψίζοντας, τα ευρήματα της παρούσας μελέτης επιβεβαιώνουν την παρουσία αυξημένης απόπτωσης στο μυελό των ασθενών με ΜΔΣ, ιδιαίτερα πρώιμου τύπου. Τα πρώιμα αποπτωτικά προγονικά κύτταρα επιδεικνύουν δυνατότητα διαφυγής από τον κυτταρικό θάνατο και σχετική λειτουργική ανάνηψη κατά την απομάκρυνσή τους από το προαποπτωτικό μικροπεριβάλλον του μυελού. Εναλλακτικά, πρόκειται για κύτταρα που, εξ'αιτίας αποτυχίας του αποπτωτικού μηχανισμού να περατωθεί, υφίστανται "ατελή απόπτωση" και διασώζονται, φέροντα όμως δυνητικά ογκογόνες μεταλλάξεις. Η γενική αντίληψη, πάντως, που καθιστά την απόπτωση ως την αιτία της μη αποδοτικής αιμοποίησης του συνδρόμου κλονίζεται, καθώς αποπτωτικά και μη αποπτωτικά προγονικά κύτταρα διαθέτουν παρόμοια κλωνογόνο ικανότητα, in vitro; φαίνεται ότι επιπρόσθετες ενδογενείς ανωμαλίες περιορίζουν το κλωνογόνο δυναμικό αποπτωτικών και μη προγονικών κυττάρων. Η υπερέκφραση Hsps που τεκμηριώθηκε στο μυελό ασθενών με ΜΔΣ ενδεχομένως υποστηρίζει την διαδικασία κακοήθους εξαλλαγής μέσω της σιωπηρής συσσώρευσης μεταλλάξεων στα κύτταρα του κλώνου. Επιπλέον, τα αυξημένα επίπεδα των αντι-αποπτωτικών αυτών πρωτεϊνών θα μπορούσε να ευθύνεται για την προτεινόμενη ατελή απόπτωση των κυττάρων του μυελοδυσπλαστικού μυελού. Όπως προκύπτει από τη σημαντική συσχέτιση της έκφρασης των Hsps τόσο με το ποσοστό βλαστών όσο και με το στάδιο της νόσου, τα υπερεκφράζοντα ώριμα με τα αντίστοιχα προγονικά τους παθολογικά κύτταρα, ενέχοντας πλεονέκτημα επιβίωσης έναντι των φυσιολογικών στο προ-αποπτωτικό μικροπεριβάλλον του δυσπλαστικού μυελού, φαίνεται ότι επιλέγονται και επικρατούν κατά την πρόοδο της νόσου. Σε ένα τέτοιο υπόστρωμα αντίστασης στην απόπτωση ένα επιγενετικό συμβάν που αναστέλλει τη διαφοροποίηση ενδέχεται να πυροδοτήσει τη λευχαιμική εκτροπή. / Myelodysplastic syndrome comprises a heterogeneous group of clonal stem cell disorders characterized by ineffective hematopoiesis leading to refractory cytopenias and frequent evolution to acute myeloid leukemia (AML). The existing inconsistency between normal or hypercellular bone marrow and peripheral blood cytopenias remains a paradox that has been attributed to excessive intramedullary apoptosis. However, a causative relationship of apoptosis to the progenitor’s defective clonogenic growth has not been sufficiently demonstrated. On the other hand, it is widely accepted that abrogation of apoptotic control in advanced MDS favours the expansion of the malignant clone and contributes to the frequently observed evolution to acute myeloid leukaemia (AML). Enhanced expression of antiapoptotic proteins Bcl-2, Bcl-xL, IAPs, survivin has been proposed to contribute to elimination of apoptosis, disease progression and subsequent leukemic evolution. Heat Shock Proteins (Hsps) are fundamental for cell life and death decisions and essential for the coordination between proliferation, differentiation and apoptosis. Hsp73, one of the constitutively expressed Hsps, and Hsps 72 and 27, two strongly inducible by several stress stimuli proteins, are three of the most important Hsps. These three Hsps regulate programmed cell death by interfering with multiple key-regulatory points of the apoptotic cascade, acting as apoptosis inhibitors and conferring strong cytoprotection. Hsps 72 and 27 are overexpressed in a number of human cancers and haematological malignancies, while a causative relationship of these proteins to oncogenesis has even been proposed. The aim of our study was to determine the degree of programmed cell death in progenitor and mature bone marrow cells of MDS patients. Moreover, apoptosis' actual contribution to defective clonogenic capacity of MDS progenitors and, subsequently, to ineffective hematopoiesis in MDS was assessed. Furthermore, apoptosis modifications during disease progression were detected and correlated to the expression of antiapoptotic Hsps. Hsps 72, 27 and 73 intracellular expression was studied under conditions of tranquillity in bone marrow and progenitor cells of MDS patients, while the inducibility of Hsps 27 and 72 was further tested after application of an environmental type of stress (heat shock) and pro-apoptotic stimulation under combined cytokine treatment (TNFα+IFNγ). Finally, we determined an existing link between Hsps' levels, apoptosis and disease progression. Apoptosis was significantly augmented in both progenitor and mature bone marrow cell fractions from MDS patients. Apoptosis determined in the bone marrow of patients with "early" MDS (RA and RARS) significantly exceeded cell death levels detected in those with "advanced" (RAEB and RAEB-t) disease, supporting the theory of apoptosis' abrogation as the disease evolves. We should remark, however, that even inside the same FAB-category, a great heterogeneity existed in results. After 24 hours of liquid culture the percentage of early apoptotic progenitors in MDS BM significantly decreased. In order to determine apoptosis' actual contribution to defective clonogenic capacity of MDS progenitors, “apoptotic” and “non-apoptotic” bone marrow CD34+ cells were sorted by FACS (Fluorescence Activated Cell Sorting) and their differential clonogenic capacity was assessed in a short-term semisolid culture system. There was no correlation between apoptosis’ existence and culture performance, since non-apoptotic as well as apoptotic CD34+ bone marrow cells both exhibited similar defective growth. Basal intracellular expression of antiapoptotic Hsps 27, 72 and 73 was found significantly elevated in bone marrow cells of MDS patients. Hsps overexpression mainly involved total BMMC, while higher protein levels were also detected within patients’ progenitor bone marrow cells, but the differences noted did not attain statistical significance. Moreover, HS treatment provoked the effective induction of Hsps 27 and 72 in both MDS and normal subjects leading to the achievement of even higher final protein levels in the patients’ marrow, despite the already enhanced basal expression. Both basal and HS-induced Hsp72 expression were significantly enhanced in BMMC of MDS patients with advanced disease, while a positive correlation between all three Hsps basal expression and blast percentage was established in the patients' marrow. These findings suggest a probable role of Hsps overexpression in the favored selection and expansion of clonal cells, further hematopoiesis depression and disease progression. Combined pro-apoptotic treatment of normal BM cells caused a significant downregulation of Hsp72. On the contrary, BM cells from MDS patients responded by elevating the expression of cytoprotective Hsp72 in about 36% of cases. Finally, in accordance to the well-demonstrated cytoprotective role of Hsps, an inverse correlation was noted between spontaneous or induced apoptosis and Hsps basal or induced expression. In conclusion, our findings support the previous observations of increased apoptosis in MDS marrow, especially in "early" disease. Interestingly, early apoptotic MDS progenitors exhibit the potential to escape from apoptosis and even recover functionally, as shown in CFU-assays, when separated from the bone marrow microenvironment, the main source of pro-apoptotic signalling. Alternatively, these cells, due to intrinsic defects in cell death activated pathways, may undergo incomplete apoptosis and get rescued possibly carrying, though, potentially transforming mutations. However, apoptosis does not seem to be the only cause of impaired clonogenic growth in MDS, as apoptotic and non-apoptotic progenitors exhibit similar patterns of growth, both defective compared to normal. Apparently, additional intrinsic abnormalities limit the clonogenic potential of apoptotic and non-apoptotic progenitors. Augmented Hsps expression established in MDS marrow may support the underlying transformation process through the suppression and silent gathering of mutations, probably promoting viability and growth of otherwise mutant cells. Moreover, increased levels of anti-apoptotic Hsps may account for the proposed incomplete apoptosis of MDS marrow cells. Hsps appear to provide resistance against spontaneous or induced apoptosis to the overexpressing cell population. Hsps' positive correlation to blast count and disease stage implies that the overexpressing mature cells along with their abnormal progenitors, encompassing a survival advantage over normal cells in the pro-apoptotic MDS marrow, get selected and expanded during disease progression. On such a background of non-susceptibility to apoptosis a secondary event blocking differentiation could lead to leukaemic transformation.

Thesis (M.Ed. (Education Management)--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2008.

Thesis (M.Ed. (Education Management)--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2008.

Trata-se de estudo descritivo, cujo objetivo foi analisar a aplicabilidade de intervenções da NIC no atendimento a crianças com o diagnóstico de enfermagem “desobstrução ineficaz de vias aéreas relacionada à presença de via aérea artificial” em um centro de terapia intensiva pediátrico (CTIP). Foi desenvolvido em três etapas. Na primeira, foram levantadas, junto às enfermeiras do CTIP, as atividades que prescrevem cotidianamente para crianças com esse diagnóstico de enfermagem. Foi realizado mapeamento comparativo dessas atividades, com 17 intervenções apresentadas na NIC para o diagnóstico de enfermagem “desobstrução ineficaz de vias aéreas”. Na segunda etapa, esse mapeamento foi submetido à revisão por enfermeiras peritas. Na terceira etapa, 08 dessas intervenções foram selecionadas para análise, pelas enfermeiras, quanto à aplicabilidade, no CTIP, das atividades que não foram por elas mencionadas como prescritas cotidianamente na primeira etapa. Como resultados, obteve-se um total de 49 atividades listadas pelas enfermeiras como prescritas cotidianamente no CTIP para crianças com o diagnóstico de enfermagem “desobstrução ineficaz de vias aéreas relacionada à presença de via aérea artificial”. Por meio do mapeamento comparativo verificou-se que, 74 das 403 atividades constantes das intervenções prioritárias e sugeridas da NIC possuíam correspondência com 39 atividades prescritas pelas enfermeiras. Na terceira etapa, as 08 intervenções selecionadas para análise pelas enfermeiras somaram 165 (100,0%) atividades. Destas, 45 (27,3%) haviam sido mapeadas como correspondentes às indicadas pelas enfermeiras na primeira etapa. Das 120 (100,0%) atividades restantes que foram analisadas quanto à sua realização ou não, 83 (69,2%) foram consideradas pela maioria das enfermeiras como realizadas, 36 (30,0%) como não realizadas e 1 (0,8%) foi considerada pela metade das enfermeiras como realizadas e pela outra metade como não realizada. Somando-se as atividades correspondentes na primeira etapa e as atividades consideradas realizadas na terceira etapa, se obteve um total de 128 (77,6%) atividades consideradas pela maioria das enfermeiras como realizadas Quanto ao percentual atribuído à realização das atividades por intervenção, obtivemos os seguintes resultados: “monitorização respiratória” (84,6%)”, “aspiração de vias aéreas” (84,0%); “controle de vias aéreas” (80,0%); “inserção e estabilização de vias aéreas artificiais” (80,0%); “controle de vias aéreas artificiais” (80,0%); “fisioterapia respiratória” (76,9%); “assistência ventilatória” (75,0%) e “incremento da tosse” (36,4%). Concluímos que, houve um número menor de atividades consideradas não realizadas no CTIP em relação à intervenção incremento da tosse, porém, a maioria das atividades constantes na NIC e submetidas à análise pelas enfermeiras possui aplicabilidade no CTIP. / This descriptive study aimed at analyzing the applicability of NIC interventions in the care to children with the nursing diagnosis “ineffective airway clearance related to artificial airway” at a Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU). The study was developed in three phases. In the first one, the author found out, with nurses from PICU, the activities that are daily prescribed to children with this diagnosis. Based on this information, the activities were mapped and compared with the 17 interventions presented by NIC related to the nursing diagnosis “ineffective airway clearance”. In the second phase, this mapping was submitted to a peers review. In the third phase, 8 interventions were selected for analysis by the nurses regarding their applicability at the PICU, among the activities that were not mentioned as daily prescribed in the first phase. Results showed a total of 49 activities mentioned by nurses as daily prescribed at the PICU for children with the nursing diagnosis “ineffective airway clearance related to artificial airway”. Through comparative mapping, the author verified that 74 among the 403 activities related in the priority interventions and suggested by NIC had correspondence with 39 activities prescribed by nurses. In the third phase, the 08 interventions that were selected for analysis by nurses resulted in 165 (100.0%) activities. Among them, 45 (27.3%) were mapped with the correspondents indicated by nurses in the first phase. Among the 120 (100%) other activities that were analyzed regarding its performance or not, 83 (69.2%) were considered by the majority of nurses as performed, 36 (30.0%) as not performed and 1 (0.8%) was considered by half of the nurses as performed and by the other half as not performed. Summing up the activities of the first and third phases, the author obtained a total of 128 (77.6%) activities considered by the majority of nurses as performed. With respect to the percentage regarding the performance of these activities, it is important to mention the following results: Respiratory Monitoring (84.6%); Airway Suctioning (84.0%); Airway Management (80.0%); Airway Insertion and Stabilization (80.0%); Artificial Airway Management (80.0%); Chest Physiotherapy (76.9%); Ventilation Assistance (75.0%); Cough Enhancement (36,4%). The author concluded that there was few activities considered as not performed at PICU related to the intervention Cough Enhancement, however, the majority of NIC activities that were submitted to nurses’ analysis are applicable at PICU.

M. Tech. (Department of Logistics Management, Faculty of Management Sciences), Vaal University of Technology. / The rail industry in South Africa performs an important role in the transportation of goods and people. It also contributes in various ways to the socio-economic success of the country’s economy. However, the industry faces various performance-related challenges in areas such as maintenance of rail lines, poor train availability and non-operation of long-distance rail service, decline in fleet availability and accidents, most of which are linked to ineffective supply chain management. To resolve these challenges, this study proposes the implementation of supply chain integration as a method to improve the resilience and performance of the rail supply chain in South Africa. Hence, the aim of the study was to investigate the connection between supply chain integration, resilience, and performance in the rail industry. To achieve the objectives of the study, a quantitative approach based on the positivist paradigm and deductive reasoning was followed. The sample consisted of 300 purposively selected supply chain management professionals including other departments working with supply chain, for example the industrial department and engineering department drawn from the rail industry in Gauteng Province. The collected data was analysed using descriptive statistics, exploratory factor analysis and structural equation modelling. The results of the study indicated significant positive relationships for the three components of supply chain integration, namely internal integration (β=0.132), supplier integration (β=0.369), customer integration (β=0.596) and supply chain resilience. Among these three independent constructs, customer integration emerged as the most significant predictor of supply chain resilience. Significant and strong positive relationships were also observed between supply chain resilience and the tangible (β=0.781) and intangible (β=0.673) dimensions of supply chain performance. Among other things, the study recommends the training of professionals on the importance of supply chain integration, improvement of communications within the rail industry, adoption of relevant technologies and the nurturing of organisational cultures that promote both intra and inter-organisational collaboration. The study is significant in that it contributes new knowledge to the exiting literature in the South African rail industry. It also directs supply chain management research to the rail industry, which is an important economic sector and where there are many emerging issues that require empirical attention. Practically, the study shows that if rail industries improve supply chain integration there will be benefits to the firm in the form of enhanced resilience and performance of the supply chain.

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Made available in DSpace on 2016-04-26T20:22:40Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Luiz Gonzaga Modesto de Paula.pdf: 875427 bytes, checksum: b4a908614bb8c9e5682088bfcaba5c61 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2014-03-26 / This research has the purpose of studying the legal measures taken by Brazilian legislation to mitigate the failure of the business activity and its externalities . Focusing on the ineffectiveness and repeal of acts performed by the debtor before the bankruptcy - either as a result of the failure of his/her attempts of reorganization , whether as a result of direct petition of the dissatisfied creditor - the study also comprises the objective , principles and innovations governed by law 11.101/2005 (Bankruptcy Law) . The legal safeguarding of the creditors' rights does not begin on the date of the reorganization petition or declaration of bankruptcy of the insolvent entrepreneur. It extends up to the final legal solution to such business crisis and dates back to the period that precedes the petition of reorganization or the bankruptcy filing. Such assumptions for protection of the creditors rights affected by practices that precede the adjudication of bankruptcy will also be reviewed in this dissertation. Some of the practices of an entrepreneur facing a crisis, justified by the fear of imminent breakdown, could have been considered legal if not for the adjudication of bankruptcy. These are subject of judicial intervention to remove their effectiveness or have them revoked, as a protection to the creditors rights .Such scenario imposes a legal defense against predatory acts of the entrepreneur facing a crisis. This leads to the study of the hypotheses of objective inefficiency and the particulars of the revocation suit till reaching the exceptions to the possibility of declaration of ineffectiveness by the bankruptcy judge. Legal transactions with potential to enforce the attendance of one of the creditors to the detriment of others has received special attention from the legislature which has resulted in a number of practices considered ineffective in relation to the bankrupt estate ( articles 129 , I to VII ) . Besides these legal hypotheses, article 130 of the law decrees the ineffectiveness of any transaction made by the debtor before bankruptcy when it is proven that such practices intend to harm creditors / Esta pesquisa tem por finalidade estudar as medidas jurídicas adotadas pela legislação brasileira para amenizar o insucesso da atividade empresarial e as suas externalidades. Com foco na ineficácia e na revogação dos atos praticados pelo devedor antes da falência quer como resultado do fracasso das suas tentativas de recuperação, quer como resultado de pedido direto de credor não satisfeito o estudo envolve ainda os objetivos, novidades e princípios que regem a Lei n.11.101/2005 (Lei Falimentar). O resguardo legal dos direitos dos credores não começa na data do pedido de recuperação ou de decretação da falência do empresário insolvente, mas se estende até a final solução jurídica da crise empresarial e retroage a período anterior à data do ingresso do pedido de recuperação ou do requerimento de falência. E são essas hipóteses de resguardo do direito dos credores atingidos por atos anteriores à decretação da quebra que também serão avaliadas nesta dissertação. Algumas das condutas do empresário em crise, justificadas pelo temor da quebra iminente, e que poderiam ser consideradas lícitas se não sobreviesse a decretação da falência, são suscetíveis de intervenção judicial para lhes retirar a eficácia ou revogá-las, como medida de proteção aos direitos dos credores. O cenário impõe a defesa judicial contra a ação predatória do empresário em crise e leva ao estudo das hipóteses de ineficácia objetiva e das particularidades da ação revocatória até chegar às exceções à possibilidade de decretação de ineficácia pelo juiz falimentar. Os negócios jurídicos com potencial de fazer prevalecer o atendimento a um dos credores em prejuízo dos demais receberam do legislador uma atenção especial que resultou numa relação de condutas consideradas ineficazes em relação à massa falida (art. 129, I a VII). Além destas hipóteses legais, o art.130 da lei decreta a ineficácia de qualquer negócio realizado pelo devedor, antes da quebra quando provada a prática de atos com a intenção de prejudicar credores

The purpose of this qualitative multiple case study was to explore the strategies general managers of full-service hotels used to reduce voluntary frontline employee turnover. The conceptual framework for this study was Herzberg's motivation-hygiene theory. The 3 participants were hotel general managers in the midwestern region of the United States. Data were collected through semistructured interviews with 3 purposefully selected hotel general managers and by reviewing company documents. Data analysis consisted of gathering the data, coding for emergent themes, compiling the data into common codes, organizing the data into themes, interpreting the meaning, and reporting the themes. Four themes emerged from the data: employee retention, leadership characteristics, effective retention strategies, and ineffective retention strategies. The implications of this study for positive social change include the potential to decrease voluntary employee turnover in the hospitality industry. Positive results of decreasing voluntary employee turnover may include increased success within the hospitality industry, which might positively influence productivity, raise customer satisfaction, and increase organizational profits.

In order to address the managerial leadership challenge of the educational psychologist cohort, it seems fundamentally superficial to make direct use of conventional management theories, scientific data, and empirical evidence from managers’ work practices in other contexts. The current research explored the influence of managerial leadership on the professional performance of educational psychologist in relation to service delivery models, management appointments, workload management and educational psychologists’ engagement in clinical supervision. Managers need to gain better understand of the influence of managerial leadership on the professional performance of educational psychologists and use contemporary empirical and scientific data to guide their managerial leadership practice. The explanatory sequential mixed-methods research approach was best suited to the early stages of research in this arena. The research findings elucidated the influence of service delivery models, described the ideal management appointment, proposed a formal structured workload management system and provided activities for managers to encourage educational psychologists’ engagement in clinical supervision. / Educational Leadership and Management / D. Ed. (Education Management)