Abstract Paper aims To do a comprehensive review of the exact and heuristic methods, software/programming languages, constraints, and types of analysis (technical and fundamental) used to solve the portfolio optimization problem. Originality The paper presents a useful discussion on aspects of portfolio optimization, both for researchers and investors and for finance professionals. Research method A systematic literature review was performed, and the articles were compiled according to pre-established criteria/filters. Main findings A point of attention should be given to the input data of optimization models. Depending on the degree of the estimation error of these input parameters, the optimization results may be lower than the results of the 1/N trading strategy. Implications for theory and practice Robust optimization, Fuzzy logic, and prediction are examples of techniques used to reduce estimation errors. At the end of the article are pointed out trends and some gaps for future work.

Abstract This research aims to propose and try out a model to assess the Industrial Engineering students’ satisfaction, with a focus on private higher education institutions. The research tool used in this study was the Student Questionnaire 2011 National Exam for the Assessment of Student Performance (ENADE), made available by the Brazilian Ministry of Education (MEC). The questions were designed to assess undergraduate students general satisfaction based on the following constructs: Teacher Involvement, Student Interest, Course Demands, Course Organization, and General Satisfaction. A new construct was added to this research: Infrastructure. The methods employed to analyze students’ responses concerning their satisfaction with the service provided by higher education institutions were: Confirmatory Factor Analysis and Structural Equation Modeling, with the support of the software package SPSS® (Statistical Package for the Social Sciences) and the AMOS® module. The hypotheses proposed in the model indicate that the construct Teacher Involvement is key to Student General Satisfaction.

OBJETIVO: Descrever características epidemiológicas e clínicas de casos de esclerose múltipla (EM) de início precoce. MÉTODO: Em estudo descritivo, prospectivo, tipo coorte, com comparação de grupos, foram analisados 31 portadores de EM de início precoce, diagnosticados no Centro Estadual de Referência para Atenção a Pacientes Portadores de Doenças Desmielinizantes do Hospital da Restauração, Recife, Pernambuco, entre 1987 e julho de 2007. As classes ao primeiro surto foram: infantil precoce, infantil tardia e juvenil, e as variáveis: sexo; sintomas iniciais; tempo para diagnóstico, de doença e de seguimento; número de surtos, índice de recidivas e EDSS. Com o programa SPSS, versão 13.0, foram utilizados os testes t de Student e Mann-Whitney com nível de significância de 0,05. RESULTADOS: Foram observados 3 (9,7%) casos de EM infantil precoce, 9 (29%), infantil tardia, e 19 (61,3%), juvenil. A razão geral de sexo feminino:masculino igualou-se a 1,8:1, variando segundo idade de início. Predominou comprometimento motor (12; 38,7%) e de tronco encefálico ou cerebelo (7; 22,5%), especialmente nos surtos subseqüentes da forma surto-remissão. O tempo para diagnóstico e o índice médio de recidivas foram maiores na infantil precoce que na juvenil (p=0,049 e p=0,028, respectivamente. O grau de incapacidade foi maior nas formas primária e secundária progressiva, assim como na infantil precoce. CONCLUSÃO: A EM na infância e adolescência apresenta características próprias, diferentes daquelas do adulto, constituindo-se em diagnóstico difícil, que exige auxílio de especialista em EM.

OBJECTIVE: To describe the epidemiological and clinical characteristics of child/adolescence multiple sclerosis (MS). METHOD: According to a descriptive, cohort study, with comparison of groups, data of 31 cases of child/adolescent MS, diagnosed at State Reference Center for Demyelinating Diseases - Hospital da Restauração, Recife, Pernambuco, Brazil, from 1987 to July 2007, were analyzed. The variables were: sex, initial symptoms, time for diagnosis, time of disease onset (early childhood, later childhood and adolescence), time of follow-up, number of relapses, relapses index and disability. Using SPSS software, version 13.0, t Student and Mann-Whitney tests were performed, with significance level of 0.05. RESULTS: There were 3 (9.7%) cases of early childhood MS, 9 (29%), of late childhood MS, and 19 (61.3%), of adolescence MS. The general sex rate female: male was 1.8:1, varying according to age of onset. The predominant deficits were motor (12; 38.7%) and brainstem/cerebellum (7; 22.5%) especially on subsequent relapses of relapsing/remitting form. Time for diagnosis and average relapses index were higher in early childhood than in adolescence class (p=0.049 and p=0.028, respectively). Disability was higher for primary and secondary MS, as well as for early childhood. CONCLUSION: Early childhood MS presents proper and different characteristics from adults, consisting in a difficult diagnosis that demands aid of expert neurologist on MS.