Do we need handshakes to cooperate in buyer-supplier relationships?

Does formal contracting foster cooperation in a buyer-supplier relationship? In line with the literature, we find that a renegotiable contract with relationship-specific joint investments does not make it possible to reach the first-best. However, we show that a renegotiable contract may induce more cooperation than an informal arrangement. This result may help to understand how cooperation emerges in Japanese procurement practices, which typically involve relationship-specific joint investments and renegotiable contracts.Incomplete contracts, relationship-specific investments, cooperation

A minimum cross entropy model to generate disaggregated agricultural data at the local level

This work presents an entropy approach to disaggregate agricultural data at a local level. It comprises two different steps. In a first one, an information prior at disaggregated level based on experts’ opinions, available cartography of land use and biophysical data is created. In a second step, it’s used a minimum cross entropy process in order to manage these information inputs and to guaranty a solution compatible with all the different restrictions. The model was applied to the region of Algarve in the year of 1999, in order to disaggregate the data at the pixel and county level. Results show that the model was able to provide some satisfactory results since the estimated values obtained for the different areas revealed a good approximation to the true values. These results were then analyzed and provided a new insight about the policies’ consequences in the territory.Minimum cross entropy, data disaggregation, local level, Algarve, agricultural policies, Agricultural and Food Policy, C11, C81, Q15, R14,

Recovery of Incomplete Data of Statistical Livestock Number Applying an Entropy Approach

Livestock Production/Industries, Research Methods/ Statistical Methods,

A Autoavaliação Como Instrumento De Gestão No Instituto Federal De Educação, Ciência E Tecnologia Do Piauí

Este trabalho tem como objetivo relatar a experiência que se deu em dez Campi do Instituto Federal de Educação, Ciência e Tecnologia do Piauí (IFPI), que enfoca a avaliação institucional como instrumento de gestão, a partir da experiência construída pela Comissão Própria de Avaliação (CPA) articulada com as comissões setoriais constituídas em cada campus. Por meio de análise documental e observação participante pode-se constatar que a avaliação interna, considerando as atuais políticas públicas de avaliação da educação, e o atual contexto do IFPI caracterizado por uma nova institucionalidade, contribui para a redefinição das políticas internas da instituição e para a construção de uma cultura institucional de valorização da avaliação como instrumento de melhoria da gestão e para a reorientação do Plano de Desenvolvimento Institucional (PDI)

Combined disaggregation of agricultural land uses, livestock numbers and crops' production: an entropy approach

This paper presents several combined agricultural data disaggregation models in order to recover the farms' land uses, the livestock numbers and main crops' productions. The proposed approach estimates incomplete information at disaggregated level through entropy, using an information prior, and generating information for a combined calculation use of data in the estimation of other variables. The models were applied to the region of Algarve, to some rural pilot areas (Salir-Ameixial-Cachopo and Alcoutim) for livestock data, since this data in some Algarve's inland areas is needed for a European forest fire prevention project, and to the agrarian zones in a more complex framework. The results are promising. They were validated, in cross reference to real data, having proven to be valid and reliable. The total error was small and a considerable level of information heterogeneity was recovered. The total error was about 27,9% for the counties' land uses and 21% for the agrarian zones, and for the livestock it was also acceptable. The level of heterogeneity recovered was always higher than 50%, revealing some improvements regarding previous studies

Atypical presentation of pellucid marginal degeneration: case report

The authors report an unusual clinical presentation of pellucid marginal degeneration with 360º peripheral corneal thinning diagnosed in a younger male patient. We discuss the findings of topographic maps, ultrasound pachymetry and the proposed treatment.Os autores relatam o caso de paciente jovem do sexo masculino que desenvolveu quadro de degeneração marginal pelúcida bilateral atípica, com afinamento corneal periférico de 360º, abordando ainda os aspectos dos mapas topográficos e os resultados obtidos com a paquimetria ultra-sônica, além do tratamento adotado.Hospital Oftalmológico de SorocabaHospital Oftalmológico de Sorocaba Setor de CórneaHospital Oftalmológico de Sorocaba Setor de Córnea e Doenças ExternasPontifícia Universidade Católica de SorocabaUNIFESP Departamento de OftalmologiaUNIFESP, Depto. de OftalmologiaSciEL

Behavioural Insights Applied to Policy - European Report 2016

This report covers a wealth of policy initiatives across 32 European countries either implicitly or explicitly informed by behavioural insights (BIs). It reviews institutional developments around the application for behavioural insights for policy and puts forward a comparative framework (PRECIS) describing behavioural insights teams with six key features. The report reaches four main conclusions: i) in terms of capacity-building, there is significant dynamism and growing appetite to apply BIs to policy-making; ii) links between policy-making and academy communities can be strengthened and analysing large datasets offers great potential; iii) systematic application of BIs throughout the policy cycle can advance evidence-based policy-making; iv) there is a need for more research on the long-term impacts of policy interventions.JRC.DDG.02-Foresight and Behavioural Insight

New vectors derived from pUC18 for cloning and thermal-induced expression in Escherichia coli

We report the construction of two vectors for Escherichia coli: pUC72, for molecular cloning, and pPLT7, for thermal-induced expression. The main feature of pUC72 is a novel polylinker region that includes restriction sites for Nde I and Nco I which provide an ATG codon for proper translation initiation of expressed genes. Vector pPLT7 is ideal for thermo-inducible expression in host cells that carry the cI857 repressor gene. The use of pPLT7 was validated by the successful expression of the genes encoding carp and porcine growth hormones. These vectors provide novel cloning possibilities in addition to simple, non-expensive, high level expression of recombinant proteins in E. coli

Mecanismos bioquímicos, fisiológicos e moleculares relacionados com a eficiência de uso de nitrogênio em leguminosas e gramíneas.

Absorção do nitrogênio pelas plantas; Assimilação do nitrogênio pelas plantas; Ação das enzimas na eficiência de uso do nitrogênio; Identificação de genes relacionados à eficiência de uso do nitrogênio; Genes envolvidos na absorção do nitrato; Genes envolvidos na absorção do amônio; Estudos genéticos da eficiência de uso do nitrogênio; Variação da eficiência de uso de nitrogênio em gramíneas e leguminosas.bitstream/CPAMN-2010/24172/1/doc195.pd

Intracranial hypertension with ocular manifestation during the use of tetracycline: case report

The authors describe a young female patient with intracranial hypertension associated with ocular manifestations, during treatment with tetracycline. This is a rare adverse effect described in the medication warnings, and in a few reported cases in the scientific literature.Os autores relatam o caso de uma paciente jovem, do sexo feminino, que desenvolveu quadro de hipertensão intracraniana benigna com manifestações oculares em concomitância ao uso de tetraciclina para o tratamento de otite. Esta é uma reação adversa rara deste medicamento, descrito em bula e com alguns relatos de caso em literatura internacional.Hospital oftalmológico de SorocabaUniversidade Federal de São Paulo (UNIFESP)Pontifícia Universidade Católica de SorocabaUNIFESPSciEL