Analytic vision of foresight planning in venezuelan public universities
This work sought to analyze the scope of foresight planning in managing Venezuelan public universities (VPU) within the context of the Universidad Centroccidental Lisandro Alvarado (UCLA), Universidad Nacional Experimental Francisco de Miranda (UNEFM), and Universidad Nacional Experimental del Táchira (UNET) information society. This was a documentary study with a bibliographic design, supported on the analytic method; the intentional simple was aimed at three VPUs with foresight plans. The techniques to gather information included bibliographic review, critical reading, and content analysis, among others. Through the results, it was concluded that the VPUs under study coincide in the key areas toward where their foresight plans are aimed: teaching, research, and outreach. Additionally, one of the challenges for them from the information society is the use of information and communication technologies (ICT) both in academic and administrative issues. Regarding this, foresight planning is viable in university management. Its reach is broad, considering the present to make future scenarios in agreement with the key areas. It was recommended to identify strategic and emergent aspects at the universities, specifically the domain of corporate information/knowledge and organizational management/strategic level within the foresight framework.
Liderazgo Corporativo y Crisis Paradigmatica Universitaria
El presente articulo discute sobre la necesidad de transformacion organizacional de la Universidad del Zulia y el papel que juega la alta gerencia corporativa como lider en las universidades nacionales venezolanas, y en particular en el proceso de cambio. Se analizan las diferentes tendencias sobre el liderazgo en las organizaciones y se conceptualiza al lider del futuro, para luego insertarlo en la organizacion en cuestion. Al contrastar el desarrollo teorico con la vision del liderazgo universitario ac tual, se pudo visualizar como el lider corporativo, bajo una nueva concepcion institucional, debera estar preparado para ser agente de cambio y estar consciente de que el conocimiento y la comunicacion pueden convertirse en factores estrategicos, para motorizar cualquier transformacion paradigmatica; en el entendido que la institucion universitaria y en particular la Universidad del Zulia, se encuentran en un proceso de transicion, propio de una organizacion con capacidad para convertirse, por si misma, en lider para el cambio.
Axonal sensorimotor neuropathy in patients with β-thalassaemia
Objective: The purpose of this study was to investigate the prevalence of peripheral neuropathy in patients with β-thalassaemia. Methods: Thirty six patients with a mean age of 29.2±8.2 years and 17 healthy controls with a mean age of 27.6±9.1 were included in this study. Measurements included the neuropathy symptoms score (NSS), the neuropathy disability score (NDS) as well as nerve conduction studies of two motor (ulnar and peroneal) and two sensory (ulnar and sural) nerves of the right limbs. Results: A mainly sensory axonal polyneuropathy was present in 19 out of 36 patients (52.7%). Eight out of these 19 patients also had abnormal NDS values. The neuropathy correlated significantly with the age of the patients and the hematocrit. However, it did not correlate with the presence of antibodies against HCV, the ferritin levels, or with a history of transfusions, desferrioxamine treatment, or splenectomy. Conclusions: This study showed a high prevalence of a predominantly sensory neuropathy in patients with β-thalassaemia. The electrophysiological data suggest that the underlying pathology is an axonopathy. Chronic hypoxia of the nerves resulting from severe anaemia may contribute to the pathogenesis of this neuropathy.