ALBERT HIRSCHMAN IN LATIN AMERICA: NOTES ON HIRSCHMAN'S TRILOGY ON ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

This paper discusses Albert Hirschman's writings that resulted from his professional experience in Colombia, Brazil, Chile and other Latin American countries during the 1950s and 1960s. The focus is on the trilogy written by Hirschman in the field of development economics, which comprises: The Strategy of Economic Development (1958), Journeys Toward Progress (1963) and Development Projects Observed (1967). Some methodological aspects of those writings, which tend to be recurrent throughout the author's whole intelectual career, are emphasized.

Challenges of doing research in the history of economic thought: A Latin American perspective

The researcher who works on the history of economic thought in Latin America faces three basic challenges, namely: 1) crossing disciplinary boundaries, since the field requires familiarity with neighboring areas of investigation, such as philosophy, sociology, and psychology, among others; 2) recognizing that past is past, that one´s favorite author or school of thought can bring some light to society´s present choices and policies, but, due to their particular context, should not stand as their final arbiter; 3) starting local, becoming universal, i.e, while preserving the universal content of economics, realizing that it must pay due respect to the historical, geographical and institutional diversity of its subject matter.The researcher who works on the history of economic thought in Latin America faces three basic challenges, namely: 1) crossing disciplinary boundaries, since the field requires familiarity with neighboring areas of investigation, such as philosophy, sociology, and psychology, among others; 2) recognizing that past is past, that one´s favorite author or school of thought can bring some light to society´s present choices and policies, but, due to their particular context, should not stand as their final arbiter; 3) starting local, becoming universal, i.e, while preserving the universal content of economics, realizing that it must pay due respect to the historical, geographical and institutional diversity of its subject matter. &nbsp

On behalf of Antonio Maria: recent tendencies in economic methodology

This is a discussion about the recent trends in the field of economic methodology. I argue that methodologists now agree that the evaluation of economic theories based on universal fixed rules has proven to be sterile. Instead, they tend to focus the methodological options actually made by economists in their effort to build theories. Nevertheless, some very general questions about the nature of science and the relation between theory and empirical work still need to be addressed. I use as an illustration of my point of view the case of behavioral economics.economic methodology methodological rules behavioral economics

Portuguese hospitals’ main challenges in implementing Big Data projects for early detection of adverse events

Big Data has been creating much excitement and promises to solve many of the current health systems’ challenges. A specific application allows predicting adverse events, such as nosocomial infections, 24-48 hours earlier than traditional methods, by analysing in real-time physiological data allied with clinical information, and by extracting knowledge from this stored data. However, the implementation of this kind of projects is not without challenges. Hence, the objective of this thesis is to understand the main barriers in implementing Big Data projects for early detection of adverse events in the specific case of Portuguese hospitals. The collection of primary data, through surveys and interviews, allowed identifying three main barriers. Firstly, there is a generalized low knowledge regarding Big Data, which can hinder the consideration of these projects in the yearly budget and create difficulties in understanding how it can be applied and benefit the hospital. Secondly, a shortage of “Data Scientists” in Portuguese hospitals was reported, being this skilled labour crucial to creatively look at the data and understand how it generates value. Finally, an initial high investment with still undiscovered business value is a true barrier, reflecting the hospitals’ budget constraints. However, two initially identified obstacles were not validated by this analysis. Firstly, being an organizational change necessary to adapt to this new paradigm, resistance from managers and caregivers is not expected. Furthermore, data security and privacy were not considered true impediments but rather a requirement of the technology.“Big Data” tem vindo a despertar muita atenção e promete resolver os principais desafios que os sistemas de saúde hoje enfrentam. Uma aplicação específica permite prever intercorrências, como infeções adquiridas no hospital, 24-48 horas mais cedo do que os métodos tradicionais, através de uma análise em tempo real de fluxos fisiológicos e informação complementar, tal como da extração de novos algoritmos integrados nos dados armazenados. Contudo, a implementação destes projectos tem associada desafios e dificuldades. Assim, o objetivo desta tese é compreender quais as principais barreiras à implementação de projectos de “Big Data” para deteção precoce de intercorrências, no caso específico dos hospitais portugueses. Dados recolhidos através de inquéritos e entrevistas, permitiram identificar três barreiras principais. Primeiramente, o nível de conhecimento sobre “Big Data” é baixo, o que poderá impedir a inclusão deste tipo de projetos no orçamento e dificultar o entendimento relativamente à sua aplicação no meio hospitalar. Seguidamente, foi reportada uma carência generalizada de “Data Scientists”, sendo estes cruciais para olhar de forma criativa para os dados, compreendendo como podem gerar valor. Finalmente, a necessidade de existir um elevado investimento inicial, associada à falta de evidência relativamente aos benefícios, foi considerada uma barreira, refletida nas restrições orçamentais dos hospitais. Contudo, dois obstáculos inicialmente identificados, não foram validados pela análise. Primeiro, sendo necessária uma transformação organizacional, não é esperada resistência por parte dos gestores ou médicos e enfermeiros. Por outro lado, segurança e privacidade dos dados não foram consideradas uma barreira, mas algo que a tecnologia teria que garantir

A Single Amino Acid Change Converts the Sugar Sensor SGLT3 into a Sugar Transporter

Background: Sodium-glucose cotransporter proteins (SGLT) belong to the SLC5A family, characterized by the cotransport of Na + with solute. SGLT1 is responsible for intestinal glucose absorption. Until recently the only role described for SGLT proteins was to transport sugar with Na +. However, human SGLT3 (hSGLT3) does not transport sugar but causes depolarization of the plasma membrane when expressed in Xenopus oocytes. For this reason SGLT3 was suggested to be a sugar sensor rather than a transporter. Despite 70 % amino acid identity between hSGLT3 and hSGLT1, their sugar transport, apparent sugar affinities, and sugar specificity differ greatly. Residue 457 is important for the function of SGLT1 and mutation at this position in hSGLT1 causes glucose-galactose malabsorption. Moreover, the crystal structure of vibrio SGLT reveals that the residue corresponding to 457 interacts directly with the sugar molecule. We thus wondered if this residue could account for some of the functional differences between SGLT1 and SGLT3. Methodology/Principal Findings: We mutated the glutamate at position 457 in hSGLT3 to glutamine, the amino acid present in all SGLT1 proteins, and characterized the mutant. Surprisingly, we found that E457Q-hSGLT3 transported sugar, had the same stoichiometry as SGLT1, and that the sugar specificity and apparent affinities for most sugars were similar to hSGLT1. We also show that SGLT3 functions as a sugar sensor in a living organism. We expressed hSGLT3 and E457Q-hSGLT3 in C. elegans sensory neurons and found that animals sensed glucose in an hSGLT3-dependent manner

Distribution of sea-air CO 2 fluxes in the Patagonian Sea: Seasonal, biological and thermal effects

Sea-air CO2 fluxes (FCO2) in the Patagonian Sea (PS) were studied using observations collected in 2000-2006. Based on the PS frontal structures and the thermal and biological contributions to FCO2 we present a regional subdivision between distinct regimes that provide new insights on the processes that control these fluxes. The coastal regime (CR) is a net source of atmospheric CO2 (4.9 x 10-3mol.m-2.d-1) while the open shelf regime (SHR) is a net CO2 sink (-6.0 x 10-3mol.m-2.d-1). The interface between these two regions closely follows the location of along-shore fronts. In addition, based on the nature of the processes that drive the FCO2, the PS is subdivided between northern (NR) and southern (SR) regions. Both, NR and SR are CO2 sinks, but the CO2 uptake is significantly higher in NR (-6.4 x 10-3mol.m-2.d-1) than in SR (-0.5 x 10-3mol.m-2.d-1). The data reveal a strong seasonality in FCO2. The mean CO2 capture throughout the PS in austral spring is -5.8 x 10-3mol.m-2.d-1, reaching values lower than -50 x 10-3mol.m-2.d-1 in NR, while in winter FCO2 is close to equilibrium in SR. The analysis of the biological and thermal effects (BE and TE, respectively) on seasonal pCO2 variability indicates that regions of CO2 emission are dominated by the TE while regions of CO2 uptake are dominated by the BE. Our results indicate that the biological pump is the dominant process determining the sea-air CO2 flux in the PS.Fil: Kahl, Lucía Carolina. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Departamento de Ciencias de la Atmósfera y los Océanos; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina. Ministerio de Defensa. Armada Argentina. Servicio de Hidrografía Naval. Departamento Oceanografía; ArgentinaFil: Bianchi, Alejandro A.. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Departamento de Ciencias de la Atmósfera y los Océanos; Argentina. Ministerio de Defensa. Armada Argentina. Servicio de Hidrografía Naval. Departamento Oceanografía; ArgentinaFil: Osiroff, Ana Paula. Ministerio de Defensa. Armada Argentina. Servicio de Hidrografía Naval. Departamento Oceanografía; ArgentinaFil: Pino, Diana Ruiz. Universite Pierre et Marie Curie; FranciaFil: Piola, Alberto Ricardo. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Departamento de Ciencias de la Atmósfera y los Océanos; Argentina. Ministerio de Defensa. Armada Argentina. Servicio de Hidrografía Naval. Departamento Oceanografía; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentin

Photothermoelectric AZO/SiO2/NiO Device

This work was mainly funded by ERC‐CoG‐2014, and partially funded by FCT – Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia, I.P., in the scope of the Project Nos. LA/P/0037/2020 of the Associate Laboratory Institute of Nanostructures, Nanomodelling and Nanofabrication – i3N. Publisher Copyright: © 2023 The Authors. Advanced Materials Technologies published by Wiley-VCH GmbH.Transparent-conductive-oxide (TCO) materials and transparent devices combining photovoltage and thermoelectric effects are still scarce. Hence, a new transparent-conductive-oxide/insulating/transparent-semiconductor-oxide (TCO-I-TSO) structure combining such effects is developed. It is made of aluminum-doped zinc oxide (AZO)/SiO2/NiO thin films sequentially deposited on glass substrates. AZO exhibits thermo and photovoltage in response to gradient temperature and absorption of UV photons, while NIR photons absorption in the NiO layer. Photovoltage appears in the plane between the AZO and NiO layer when the whole sample is irradiated with near infrared light, and it also depends on the thickness of the SiO2 layer. This photovoltage is continuously monitored on samples placed in a glass window facing south. Throughout the day, the photovoltage varies from 0 to 300 µV proportionally to the light intensity.publishersversionpublishe

Usos e Aplicações da Grounded Theory em Administração

This paper discusses the usage and application of grounded theory in the administration area.Grounded theory is a research tool under the qualitative paradigm that, since its beginning in 1967raised some debates in the academic arena. Its original authors, Barney Glaser & Anselm Strauss,developed, throughout their academic trajectories,distinct thoughts regarding the process of datacollection and data analysis, the researcher attitude and the way of attainment the researchresults: theory grounded on empirical data. In spite of that, the history on the evolution of theresearch method, the research method working process clarification and an analysis of someapplications in the administrative area are discussed in this paper to support reflections ongrounded theory applicability and potentiality in administration. The purpose of this paper is tocontribute with researchers by bringing relevant information to support the processes of choice ofthis research method and its proper execution in their research. The conclusion is that groundedtheory is complex, rich, and powerful being applicable in administration as part of the social scienc

The contribution of virtual enterprises to competence-based learning: An assessment from the students' perspective: Case study

The use of virtual enterprises has evolved from secondary, vocational and professional education to the university level, becoming in recent times a relevant experiential e-learning tool based on the simulation of the functioning of a company. The purpose of this study is to analyze the perspective of students taking part in virtual enterprises about their acquisition of generic and specific managerial skills fostered by this e-learning methodology. We analyzed data of 76 students from Faculties of Business and Economics, who had participated during the academic year 2014-2015 in a virtual company during the development of their degrees at two different Italian universities, University of Bologna and Parma. Our results show that the most valued generic skills were related to the capacity of learning and adaptation, problem solving and teamwork, whilst the least valued ones were related to the skills of communication and interaction with people of other countries and cultures. In the case of specific managerial skills, the most valued ones were about understanding managerial concepts and the role and functions of economic agents, and the least valued were skills related to providing managerial advice, dealing with risks and analyzing financial statements. Besides, the analyses conducted to determine the existence of a learning profile in the students reveal that the skills acquired were quite similar, not being affected by the students' gender or the economic activity developed by the virtual enterprise. This study makes a contribution in terms of the effectiveness of virtual enterprises for competence-based learning