Currently, a viable solution to provide multicast provision over a multiprotocol label switch with traffic engineering (MPLS-TE) domain is unavailable because of the missing link able to couple multicast traffic distribution with an MPLS-TE enabled network. This is due to the limited or less research investigation that was done in this area. Most of the investigation methods tackle the problem individually such as deploying internet protocol (IP) multicast in a plain network or MPLS domain but without considering a combination of both technologies that is aware of differentiated services requirements. This thesis presents an alternative solution for the multicast differentiated services provision problem over a MPLS-TE enabled network. The approach is exposed and analyzed through a practical solution that was developed within a network simulation environment. The research presented in this thesis orchestrates the already available technologies offered by the multicast protocols suite and differentiated services (DiffServ) aware MPLS-TE that allows applying separately the constraint-based routing and admission control to different classes of services. The novelty and solution of this thesis relies on using MPLS constraint-based routing concepts (e.g.traffic trunks) in order to solve TE issues revealed during multicast traffic distribution.

The aim of this thesis is to capture the view of the first generation of skateboarders on the emergence and development of skateboarding in Czechoslovakia in the 1970s and 1980s. The research will be based on two important pillars, i.e. the explanation of the contemporary context in Czechoslovakia, with an overlap into the history of skateboarding in the USA and the qualitative method of oral history that I will use in the second pillar of the research to capture witnesses' memories. Half-structured interviews with 6 narrators, i.e. representatives of the first skateboarding generation, will be carried out within the oral history method. The source of the research will be based on interviews, scholarly literature, period articles from newspapers and periodicals and, last but not least, historical materials such as photographs or videos for a comprehensive study of the subject.

The agricultural negotiations in the World Trade Organization's (WTO) Doha Development Agenda (DDA) are calling for a specific Special Safeguard Mechanism (SSM) for developing countries that will protect agricultural producers from import surges or price declines, and could potentially add stability to domestic markets. While most of the parameters of this SSM have been decided upon, the DDA negotiations faltered on the issue of whether or not developing nations should be allowed to exceed their pre-Doha bound tariff rates when invoking the SSM. For developing countries, tariffs on agricultural products are an important policy tool to support domestic prices and protect their smallholder producers from global market shifts. Tariffs, however, distort world prices and create global welfare losses. The purpose of this thesis is to assess the impacts of the SSM on global prices and welfare using a non-spatial, synthetic, stochastic, global, partial equilibrium model of the world soybean market. The SSM is assessed in concert with the currently proposed DDA tariff cutting formulas since the additional duties allowed under the SSM are proportional to prevailing bound tariff levels. This study asserts that the SSM actually decreases global price and welfare stability, decreasing world prices of the commodities on which an SSM is placed, though positively affects tariff revenues for those particular commodities. While the SSM may offer a short-term solution for developing countries, its long-term outlook as a price stabilization tool is a not credible argument. / Master of Science

Submitted by Viviane Lima da Cunha (viviane@biblioteca.ufpb.br) on 2015-05-26T12:53:02Z No. of bitstreams: 1 arquivototal.pdf: 2980634 bytes, checksum: 4c7ccb2e54be16c1b0bcb01cfa7a50f5 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2015-05-26T12:53:02Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 arquivototal.pdf: 2980634 bytes, checksum: 4c7ccb2e54be16c1b0bcb01cfa7a50f5 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2015-02-27 / The Patient Safety has been, in the last decades a thematic evidenced in the Brazilian and world scenario. There are cases that refer to bad prescription, errors in medication administration , stress and professional disillusion. Attached to concerns regarding the quality of medical records, Patient Safety becomes a study of high importance for Risk Reduction, both for patients as for professionals and health services. Therefore, this study concerned to better understand the reality of management of records of Alcides Carneiro University Hospital (ACUH) a federal public institution in the city of Campina Grande, Paraíba. The aspirations for improvements in service hospital records, along with initial actions of ACUH Management Risk and Patient Safety Center, were the main indicators for this study to have its start up. The focus of this work was to understand the situation seen as problematic by the institution Hospital Records Division and, through observations and systemic reviews, identify opportunities for improvement. The methodology used was the Soft Systems Methodology (SSM), recognized worldwide in the management of public health services, especially in studies carried out in National Health Service (NHS) in Britain. The application of SSM had allowed greater understanding of how the records management is conducted in ACUH, and the main obstacles for attendance to Brazilian national guidelines Risk Management and Patient Safety. In addition to organizational learning, this study led to the construction of a project named the Medical Records Management Improvement Program (MRMIP), which may be applied by the administration of ACUH. / A Segurança do Paciente tem sido, nas últimas décadas, uma temática evidenciada no cenário nacional brasileiro e mundial. São casos que se referem à má prescrição, à administração de medicamentos de forma equivocada, ao estresse e à desilusão profissional. Atrelada à preocupação referente à qualidade dos registros médicos, a Segurança do Paciente é um estudo de suma importância para a Redução de Riscos, tanto para os pacientes quanto para os profissionais e serviços de saúde. Este estudo teve a preocupação de compreender melhor a realidade da gestão de prontuários do Hospital Universitário Alcides Carneiro (HUAC), instituição pública federal da cidade de Campina Grande, na Paraíba. Os anseios por melhorias no serviço de registros hospitalares, aliados às ações iniciais da Gerência de Risco e Núcleo de Segurança do Paciente do HUAC, foram os principais indicadores para que este estudo tivesse início. O foco foi compreender a situação tida como problemática pela Divisão de Registro Hospitalar da instituição e, por meio de observações e avaliações sistêmicas, identificar oportunidades de melhoria. A metodologia utilizada foi a Soft Systems Methodology (SSM), reconhecida mundialmente no âmbito da gestão em serviços de saúde pública, principalmente em estudos realizados pelo National Health Service (NHS), o serviço de saúde pública do Reino Unido. A aplicação da SSM ampliou o entendimento sobre a gestão de prontuários no HUAC, bem como apresentou os principais obstáculos para que sejam atendidas as diretrizes nacionais brasileiras de Gestão de Riscos e Segurança do Paciente. Além do aprendizado organizacional, este estudo propiciou a construção do Programa de Melhorias da Gestão de Prontuários (PMGP), que poderá ser aplicado pela administração do HUAC.

Submitted by Fabio Sobreira Campos da Costa (fabio.sobreira@ufpe.br) on 2017-04-18T12:25:54Z No. of bitstreams: 2 license_rdf: 1232 bytes, checksum: 66e71c371cc565284e70f40736c94386 (MD5) DISSERTAÇÃO - MPA - JOSÉ ORLANDO.pdf: 1683147 bytes, checksum: dceefacc13fbb80c75b08210bf27154d (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2017-04-18T12:25:54Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 2 license_rdf: 1232 bytes, checksum: 66e71c371cc565284e70f40736c94386 (MD5) DISSERTAÇÃO - MPA - JOSÉ ORLANDO.pdf: 1683147 bytes, checksum: dceefacc13fbb80c75b08210bf27154d (MD5) Previous issue date: 2016-07-27 / As organizações hospitalares compreendem uma das mais complexas unidades gerenciais, exigindo do gestor hospitalar da cadeia logística de medicamentos que, neste trabalho, são os antirretrovirais, uma proficiência no seu gerenciamento. Pois uma falha na sua distribuição, a percepção, quanto à qualidade do serviço oferecido, é imediatamente comprometida. Esta pesquisa foi realizada no Hospital das Clínicas da UFPE e objetivou avaliar a percepção da qualidade em relação à prestação de serviços logísticos no programa de medicamentos antirretrovirais. Este é um estudo exploratório-descritivo de natureza qualitativa, realizado por meio de entrevista semiestruturada, junto aos farmacêuticos e técnicos em farmácia do hospital em estudo e coordenadores logísticos do programa HIV/AIDS da Secretaria Estadual de Saúde. Um pilar, para o entendimento da qualidade em relação à prestação de serviços logísticos, é a visão sistêmica do funcionamento da cadeia de distribuição através da Soft Systems Methodology (SSM), a qual permitiu compreender seu funcionamento a partir das diferentes percepções. Desta situação adveio à importância também em avaliá-la, com base nas dimensões da qualidade percebida em serviços logísticos, quais sejam: confiabilidade no prazo de entrega; confiabilidade da quantidade e do produto correto; flexibilidade no serviço prestado; disponibilidade; apoio pós-entrega; armazenamento etc.; no sentido de realizar um monitoramento mais apurado dos processos ou propor ações que previnam problemas futuros no atendimento às necessidades dos profissionais do programa e usuários convivendo com o HIV/AIDS. Os resultados obtidos possibilitaram uma avaliação detalhada do funcionamento da cadeia logística dos medicamentos antirretrovirais, a importância de uma gestão eficiente do estoque, do fluxo de informações e do planejamento real da demanda. Entende-se, então, a necessidade de repensar a estrutura física atual no sentido de possibilitar um atendimento humanizado aos usuários e familiares, e rever, junto à coordenação logística estadual, as cláusulas contratuais firmadas. Por fim, ficou evidente que algumas dimensões avaliadas demandam mudanças operacionais, tendo em vista o alto valor monetário agregado; e que o acesso contínuo a terapia traz consigo, não só a satisfação dos profissionais e usuários, a credibilidade dos serviços e a construção de uma imagem positiva, mas principalmente, o aumento da sobrevida desses usuários. / Hospital organizations have one of the most complex unit managements, demanding from drugs supply chain hospital manager, which in this paper is antiretroviral, a proficiency in management. As a distribution failure occurs, the perception about the service quality offered is immediately compromised. This research was conducted at the Hospital das Clínicas, UFPE and aimed to evaluate the perception of quality related to logistic services provision in the antiretroviral drug program. This is an exploratory-descriptive qualitative study, conducted through semi-structured interviews with the study hospital’s pharmacists and pharmacy technicians and logistical coordinators of the HIV/AIDS program from the State Department of Health. A foundation to understand the quality associated to logistic services provision is a systemic view about the supply chain operation through Soft Systems Methodology (SSM), which allows the operation understanding from different perceptions. This situation also originated the importance to evaluate it based on dimensions of perceived quality in any logistic services: reliability in prompt delivery, amount and correct product reliability, service flexibility, availability, post-delivery support, etc., in order to achieve a more accurate monitoring process or propose actions to prevent future problems to program’s professionals and users living with HIV/AIDS. The results enabled a detailed assessment of the supply chain functioning from antiretroviral drugs, the importance of an efficient stock management, the information flow and the real demand planning. It made to understand the need to rethink the current physical structure in order to allow a humanized care to patients and families, and review along with the state logistic coordination the contract terms signed. Finally, it was clear that some dimensions evaluated require operational changes, considering the high monetary value; and the continued access to therapy brings not only the professionals and users’ satisfaction, the credibility of services and building a positive image, but mainly increasing these users survival.

The main goal of this work is to develop an innovation framework for companies, with application on an existing company, that needs to pass through a process of innovation. In this document a new methodology is created by merging two theories into one. The first theory is a new created creative theory called "The Theory of Ten" (Teorie Deseti), in this case used for finding the initial conditions for innovation. The second theory is Systems Theory, more concretely Soft Systems Methodology. Both of the theories were partially adapted and merged to an unified unique methodology.

High-pressure die casting of semi-solid aluminium-silicon alloys is used in the automotive industry to manufacture components, like housings, brackets, and bars. It is commonly known that during high-pressure die casting, defect bands may be created that follow the contour of the component surface. These bands consist mainly of a eutectic phase. This phenomenon is also observed in semi-solid metal slurry high-pressure die casting. These bands could lead to premature failure of the component in service. The origin of these bands is not fully understood and so this research focuses on investigating these bands and their origins further. A series of casting trials were conducted with varying plunger velocity. Subsequent investigation using optical and scanning electron microscopy showed that a change of the plunger velocity alters the number of bands present in the samples. Energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy revealed that a measurable difference in aluminium quantity across the band was noticed and it was postulated that aluminium migrates towards the component centre. Therefore, different mechanisms responsible for particle migrations found in literature were investigated and assessed quantitatively using experimental data and information from published literature. It was found that the Saffman lift force and the Mukai-Lin-Laplace effect were the mechanisms that were most likely to cause such a migration of aluminium. Further experimental investigation is recommended to identify which of the two mechanisms is ultimately responsible for the migration and to optimise the high-pressure die casting procedure to minimise defect band formation. / Produktion av högtrycksgjutning av halvfasta aluminium-kisellegeringar används i fordonsindustrin för att tillverka komponenter, som exempel till kåpor, konsoler och stag. Det är allmänt känt att defektband kan formas under högtrycksgjutning som följer konturen av komponentytan. Dessa band består huvudsakligen av eutektisk fas. Detta fenomen har också observerats vid högtrycksgjutning produktion av halvfast slurry. Potentiellt kan dessa band leda till en försämring av komponentens mekaniska egenskaper och resultera i ett förtida brott. Ursprunget av dessa band är inte helt kartlagda och det är därför viktigt att fokusera ytterligare på denna forskning och att undersöka dessa band och deras ursprung. En serie med gjutningsförsök genomfördes med varierande kolvhastighet. Efterföljande undersökning med optisk- och svepelektronmikroskopi visade att en förändring av kolvhastigheten förändrar antalet band som finns i proverna. Energidispersiv röntgenspektroskopi avslöjade en mätbar skillnad i aluminiumkvantitet över bandet, och det antogs att aluminium migrerar mot centrum av komponenten. Därför undersöktes och utvärderades olika mekanismer som ansvarar för partikelmigrationer som finns att finna i litteratur med hjälp av experimentella data och information från publicerad litteratur. Det visade sig att Saffman lyftkraft och Mukai-Lin-Laplace effekten var de mekanismer som mest troligen orsakade migration av aluminium. Ytterligare experimentella försök rekommenderas för att identifiera vilken av dessa två mekanismerna som i slutändan är ansvarig för migrationen. Detta för att optimera gjutningsprocessen och därmed minimera uppkomsten av defektband.

The understanding of the dynamics of the climatic variables is critical to model and predict climatic and environmental changes. Traditional measures collected by the meteorological stations network are dispersedly located throughout the territory in the northern high latitudes and errors associated to these variations can be considerable. Our goal is to evaluate the contribution of the remote sensing by passive microwaves compared to the ground measurements for better characterizing the variations in the surface temperature during the winter. In the presence of snow, extraction of the surface parameters by microwave measurements is a complex and ill-conditioned problem. We evaluated a semi-empirical relation based on a theoretical analysis to estimate the surface temperatures with the measured brightness temperatures at 19 and 37 GHz (vertical polarization). Simulations of emissivity made with the Helsinki Technology University (HUT) model, the knowledge of the land cover, and the forest biomass enable us to define this relationship.The results of the comparison between the calculated surface temperatures and the air temperatures for the entire Canada (137 stations) and for two winters, 1992-93 and 2002-03 (16359 measurements) show a significant correlation with an estimation error ranging between 4 and 7[degrees Celsius] according to the regions considered. These results are discussed according to region and type of land cover (grassland, forest, tundra).

Das Ziel der gewählten Diplomarbeit zum Thema,,Die Europäische Zentralbank und die Bankenunion" ist es die historischen Entwicklungen, die der Schaffung der Europäischen Zentralbank vorausgegangen sind, sowie die Tätigkeit, den Status, die Funktionsgrundsätze und die Organisation dieses unabhängigen Unionsorgans aufzuzeigen, und schließlich die Entstehung und die Säulen eines neuen Phänomens der Bankenunion, darzustellen. Die Arbeit ist thematisch in vier Kapitel unterteilt. Das erste Kapitel stellt in seinen neun Abschnitten den historischen Hintergrund zu den Ereignissen des letzten Jahrhunderts dar, die die Fachwelt als signifikant für die chaffung der Europäischen Zentralbank angesehen hat. Es handelt sich daher um das Kapitel, das den Leser ermöglichen soll, den historischen Kontext dieser EU-Einrichtung zu verstehen und damit ihre Bedeutung und ihre Rolle nicht nur im Zusammenhang mit der europäischen Integration wahrzunehmen. Das zweite Kapitel legt die grundlegende Unterscheidung zwischen ESZB und der Eurozone dar. Aber vor allem widmet es sich der Europäischen Zentralbank als der EU-Einrichtung und der juristischen Person, wobei die Fragen hinsichtlich ihres Sitzes, ihrer Rechtspersönlichkeit, ihres Kapitals, ihrer Unabhängigkeit, ihrer Verantwortlichkeit und Transparenz, Organisation und...

Checkland developed Soft Systems Methodology (SSM) to address problem situations from a systems perspective; however, SSM needs to be extended with other methods to find superior solutions that overcome the need for a compromise or trade-off between conflicting or contradictory elements. This thesis extends Checkland’s SSM approach to resolve problems with conflicting or contradictory elements. This work integrates the powerful benefits of TRIZ-based analysis into SSM and provides a means for systemic resolution of business problems with conflicting sub-system elements. Furthermore, this study acknowledges that soft problems can have conflicting relationships among their elements, compares the strengths and weaknesses of SSM and TRIZ in problem structuring, and presents a collaborative SSM-TRIZ approach for problem structuring. Finally, this thesis applies the joint methodology to examine the business problem of customer needs assessment for a certain market segment of INCOSE’s planned Professional Development initiative. Although SSM-TRIZ helps structure problems with opposing requirements, it does not always provide definitive, prescriptive solution implementations for technical and business issues. Hence, hard thinking approaches cannot be discarded in practice after implementing SSM-TRIZ. Text mining was selected for providing a final and definite solution to the problem situation of interest.