Fair and balance rate for benefits not scheduled in defined contribution plans

ABSTRACT The objective of this study is to propose a methodology that, using multiple decreases, in addition to classified by actuarial profile and source of social security costs, calculates actuarially fair and balanced rates for unscheduled collective costing benefits from Defined Contribution (DC) pension plans. There are no studies in Brazil about costing rates for benefits not scheduled in pension plans of the DC modality. Any institution that pays collective cost social security benefits must determine an actuarial rate that is not insufficient, generating a financial imbalance in the fund, nor excessive, compromising the participant’s income. This work is the first study on costing rates for collective costing benefits from pension plans with DC modalities. Actuarially fair rates are obtained considering multiple decreases and equalizing the present value of contributions and the present value of pension and disability benefits, classified by actuarial profile and source of social security cost. The specific balance rate is determined for each source of social security costs and is obtained considering the actuarially fair rates for each actuarial profile. The general balance rate is obtained by the marginal contribution of each specific balance rate. The proposed methodology was used to calculate the rates of unscheduled benefits with collective costing in DC modality plans. The proposed methodology estimated that the legal changes, resulting from Constitutional Amendment 103/2019, indirectly increased by more than 4% the general balance rate of the unscheduled benefits of the Supplementary Social Security Foundation of the Federal Public Servant of the Executive Branch of the Federal Government (FUNPRESP-Exe).

A new two-stage nurse scheduling approach based on occupational justice considering assurance attendance in works shifts by using Z-number method: A real case study

In this paper, a new binary integer programming mathematical model for scheduling nurses' problems in the emergency department of Kamkar Hospital in Qom province is developed. The manual arrangement of nurses by the head nurse and its time-consuming, occasional absences during the period and protests against injustices in the arrangement of nurses' work shifts were among the emergency department's challenges before implementing the model. Most relevant studies aimed to enhance nurses' satisfaction by creating a general balance considering occupational preferences. Thus, the present study pursued justice through considering preferences based on the results from periodical evaluations of each nurse's performance with the ultimate goal of improving nurses' satisfaction. Moreover, the lack of clarity in selecting shifts, which may cause irregular attendance, was improved using the Z-number method. After the run of the model, the rate of nurses' absences decreased by 40%, the rate of complaints about the performance of the nursing unit decreased by 50%. Also, nurses' satisfaction increased by 30% after the implementation of the model.

COVID-19 y seguridad regional. Macro-seguritización global, adaptaciones locales y dilemas de la cooperación latinoamericana

El presente artículo analiza las principales líneas en torno de las cuales se ha interpretado y utilizado la seguritización de la COVID-19 en América Latina. Partiendo de una comprensión de la seguritización que incorpora un diálogo entre lo local y lo global para interpretar el alcance concreto del proceso, se observan las formas variadas en que distintos países de la región adaptaron discursos seguritarios de alcance global. Para ello, se analizan las principales dinámicas globales de seguritización en torno de la COVID-19, las particularidades de sus principales contrapartes locales y las acciones extraordinarias legitimadas a partir de ellas. Se argumenta que las variaciones en las construcciones de la “amenaza pandémica” de los actores regionales, realizadas de manera aislada y leídas a través de marcos interpretativos distintos, son a la vez consecuencia y agravante de desacuerdos políticos entre mandatarios nacionales. De esta manera, se busca realizar un balance general que sirva de base para continuar debatiendo uno de los múltiples aspectos en que la actual pandemia ha afectado la seguridad regional. AbstractThis article analyses the main lines around which the securitization of COVID-19 has been interpreted and used in Latin America. Starting from an understanding of securitization that incorporates a dialogue between the local and the global to interpret the specific characteristics of the process, the investigation observes the varied ways in which different countries in the region have adapted global security discourses. The main global security dynamics around COVID-19, the particularities of its main local counterparts, and the extraordinary actions legitimized as a result of them are analysed. It is argued that the variations in the constructions of the “pandemic threat” by regional actors, carried out in isolation and read through different interpretive frameworks, are both a consequence and an aggravating factor of political disagreements between national leaders. In this way, the article seeks to make a general balance that serves as the basis for continuing the debate on the many aspects in which the current pandemic has affected regional security.

Constitutive modeling of an electro-magneto-rheological fluid: A continuum mechanics approach

The present article deals with a continuum mechanics-based method to model an electro-magneto-rheological (EMR) fluid deformation under an electromagnetic field. The proposed method follows the fundamental laws of physics, including the principles of thermodynamics. We start with the general balance laws for mass, linear momentum, angular momentum, energy, and the second law of thermodynamics in the form of Clausius-Duhem inequality with Maxwell’s equations. Then, we derive the generalized constitutive relation for EMR fluids following the representation theorem. To validate of the same, the developed constitutive relation is applied to an electro-rheological fluid valve system. The analytical predictions of the considered system are consistent with the experimentation. At last, we simulate different velocity profiles from the developed constitutive relation in the case of the parallel plate configuration. As a result, we succeed in providing more physics-based analytical findings than the existing studies in the literature.

Constructing non-orthogonal split-split-plot designs using some resolvable block designs

SummaryWe consider a new method of constructing non-orthogonal (incomplete) split-split-plot designs (SSPDs) for three (A, B, C) factor experiments. The final design is generated by some resolvable incomplete block design (for the factor A) and by square lattice designs for factors B and C using a modified Kronecker product of those designs (incidence matrices). Statistical properties of the constructed designs are investigated under a randomized-derived linear model. This model is strictly connected with a four-step randomization of units (blocks, whole plots, subplots, sub-subplots inside each block). The final SSPD has orthogonal block structure (OBS) and satisfies the general balance (GB) property. The statistical analysis of experiments performed in the SSPD is based on the analysis of variance often used for multistratum experiments. We characterize the SSPD with respect to the stratum efficiency factors for the basic estimable treatment contrasts. The structures of the vectors defining treatment contrasts are also given.

In vitro genotoxicity evaluation and metabolic study of residual glutaraldehyde in animal-derived biomaterials

Glutaraldehyde (GA) is an important additive that is mainly used in animal-derived biomaterials to improve their mechanical and antimicrobial capacities. However, GA chemical toxicity and the metabolic mechanism remain relatively unknown. Therefore, residual GA has always been a major health risk consideration for animal-derived medical devices. In this study, extracts of three bio-patches were tested via the GA determination test and mouse lymphoma assay (MLA). The results showed that dissolved GA was a potential mutagen, which could induce significant cytotoxic and mutagenic effects in mouse lymphoma cells. These toxic reactions were relieved by the S9 metabolic activation (MA) system. Furthermore, we confirmed that GA concentration decreased and glutaric acid was generated during the catalytic process. We revealed GA could be oxidized via cytochrome P450 which was the main metabolic factor of S9. We found that even though GA was possibly responsible for positive reactions of animal-derived biomaterials’ biocompatibility evaluation, it may not represent the real situation occurring in human bodies, owing to the presence of various detoxification mechanisms including the S9 system. Overall, in order to achieve a general balance between risk management and practical application, rational decisions based on comprehensive analyses must be considered.

Methods and Devices to Improve the Complex Human Being Functioning

The research presents in the first part of the article an original experiment recorded with a Thermo-Vision camera. It reveals the possibility of the human being to direct energy inside the own body but also to the exterior, to heal other persons. The subject, the first author of this article, sent continuously energy to his palms about five minutes. During this time the temperature of his hands grew with more than two degrees Celsius. The subject did not move at all. The energy can be thus directed then further to other persons in need, to help them recover their health. The second part of the article reveals how our inventions rewarded with a lot of gold medals and not only, the Bio-Chips Doctor Tech, can be used to improve the human general state. A very significant experiment is presented, where with the help of these devices the first author of the paper reached for example a general balance of 99.98%. The third set of measurements presented in the article was made by means of three original types of Keshe devices. The first author of the article changed the energy at the level of the own third eye by means of the devices and could significantly improve his own state. These results are also presented in the last part of this article. For the second and the third sets of measurements, the general state of the person was evaluated by means of a Bio Well device. All the three previous types of the measurements are very original and suggestive for how we can help the others. The general purpose of the article is to show that we can do more in different ways for the others, about their health, their level of energy and their level of performance.

Everything seems so settled here: The conceivability of post-Peircean biosemiotics

Theory change is a slow, tortuous process. Problems associated with how we communicate ideas and how these ideas are received by our peers become catalysts for change in how we ourselves perceive and sanction what the discipline is capable of doing. Some parts of semiotics, and particularly biosemiotics, have come under critical scrutiny because of their heavy commitment to Peircean philosophy, but at the same time, the contributions of Peircean philosophy are almost impossible to discount. The ripples of this situation are quite visible in the emergence of code biology as a post-semiotic research programme. Yet there is a general balance between those who do not put that much stock in Peircean concepts and those who cannot conceive semiotics without these. This paper will ask whether a biosemiotics after Peirce is possible at all in the sense of acknowledging Peirce’s contributions to the field while also taking to heart the criticisms raised by those skeptical of the implications of Peircean semiotics. While the answer is most likely positive, it depends on what background our concept of meaning relies on and how it may bleed into the other areas of semiotics that biosemiotics may claim a stake on. Being able to discuss potential theoretical distinctions across semiotics while also allowing communication between the areas caught in this differentiation will be crucial for the health of the discipline as the gap between theories becomes more profound.

Passing Network Analysis of Positional Attack Formations in Handball

The aim of this study was to characterize handball from a social network analysis perspective by analyzing 22 professional matches from the 2018 European Men's Handball Championship. Social network analysis has proven successful in the study of sports dynamics to investigate the interaction patterns of sport teams and the individual involvement of players. In handball, passing is crucial to establish an optimal position for throwing the ball into the goal of the opponent team. Moreover, different tactical formations are played during a game, often induced by two-minute suspensions or the addition of an offensive player replacing the goalkeeper as allowed by the International Handball Federation since 2016. Therefore, studying the interaction patterns of handball teams considering the different playing positions under various attack formations contributes to the tactical understanding of the sport. Degree and flow centrality as well as density and centralization values were computed. As a result, quantification of the contribution of individual players to the overall organization was achieved alongside the general balance in interplay. We identified the backcourt as the key players to structure interplay across tactical formations. While attack units without a goalkeeper were played longer, they were either more intensively structured around back positions (7 vs. 6) or spread out (5 + 1 vs. 6). We also found significant differences in the involvement of wing players across formations. The additional pivot in the 7 vs. 6 formation was mostly used to create space for back players and was less involved in interplay. Social network analysis turned out as a suitable method to govern and quantify team dynamics in handball.