Credit Guarantee and the Impact in Financial Structure of the Portuguese SMEs

The aim of this work is to show the relevance of guarantees provided by the Mutual Credit Guarantee System (MCGS - the Portuguese Society of Credit Guarantee SPGM) as an instrument used in the financing of SMEs, especially in restructuring long-term debt (LTD) and bank loans. The study provides empirical evidence and puts forward an explanatory model of the influence of the mutual credit guarantees on the financing of SMEs. The results obtained show that long-term debt (LTD) financing is positively influenced by the guarantees provided by the MCGS to SMEs as it allows greater debt capacity, especially in the medium and long term, for firms that usually cannot obtain this type of financing. The results also suggest that this type of guarantees creates an environment of confidence among all stakeholders involved.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

COOPERATION IN THE FIELD OF INNOVATION, ABSORPTIVE CAPACITY, PUBLIC FINANCIAL SUPPORT AND DETERMINANTS OF THE INNOVATIVE PERFORMANCE OF ENTERPRISE

The aim of this paper is to better understand whether cooperation, absorptive capacity and public financial support for innovation activities, how they influence the innovative performance of Portuguese enterprise. The literature review focuses the importance of these three factors both drivers as the limiters process of business innovation, influencing the innovative performance of enterprise. Based on a review of the literature, hypotheses are formulated, which are tested with secondary data resources from the Community Innovation Survey 2010. This questionnaire was implemented under the supervision of EUROSTAT. The method used is the logistic regression model. The results obtained confirm that the implementation of cooperation with partners belonging to internal sources of business has a significant influence on the innovations achieved at the level of both products and processes.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

AVALIAÇÃO DAS PROPRIEDADES GEOQUÍMICAS, MINERALÓGICAS E GEOMECÂNICAS EM PERFIS DE ALTERAÇÃO DE MACIÇOS GRANITÓIDES

O presente trabalho pretende ser um contributo para a caracterização geológico-geotécnica dos solos residuais de rochas granitóides de uma região de clima temperado, a Região do Alentejo, em Portugal. A composição química, mineralógica e textural dos granitóides do Alentejo, bem como de outros granitóides da Península Ibérica, apresentam variações distintas conforme a geologia local. Devido aos diferentes tipos de alteração que ocorrem na formação dos perfis de solos residuais, os produtos finais também serão diversos [Duarte, 2002]. Assim, as propriedades físicas, químicas, mineralógicas e geomecânicas destes solos dependem não só da composição química e mineralógica da rocha mãe, mas também das características geomorfológicas e climatéricas locais [Duarte et al, 2004, 2008]. Para a prossecução do trabalho foram selecionados três locais com perfis de alteração distintos, dentro da Região Alentejo e que se ilustram na Figura 1: i) Perfil de alteração de um granodiorito da Pedreira de Monte das Flores, no Maciço Eruptivo de Évora, com cerca de 8 m de altura; ii) Perfil de alteração de um quartzodiorito da Pedreira de Benafessim, no Maciço Eruptivo de Montemor-o-Novo, com cerca de 10 m de altura; iii) Perfil de alteração de um granito da escavação para o Aterro Sanitário de Arraiolos, no Maciço Granítico do Vimieiro, com cerca de 12 m de altura. Nos três locais selecionados para o estudo foram colhidas amostras de solo residual e respetiva rocha mãe ao longo de cada perfil, com o espaçamento de sensivelmente 1 metro entre amostras, tendo estas sido devidamente acondicionadas e levadas para o laboratório para as submeter à realização de análises químicas e mineralógicas e ensaios físicos e mecânicos. Nos mesmos locais de colheita, foram igualmente determinadas a propriedades físicas “in situ” ao longo de cada perfil, tais como, teor em água no estado natural, peso volúmico húmido e seco, porosidade, entre outras. Os principais objectivos deste trabalho são os seguintes: - conhecer as propriedades geoquímicas, mineralógicas e geomecânicas dos solos residuais de três tipos distintos de rochas granitóides, granito, granodiorito e quartzodiorito; - compreender e relacionar a variabilidade de propriedades físico-químicas ao longo de um perfil de alteração de rochas granitóides em clima temperado; - antecipar o comportamento geotécnico, em tempo real, pelo conhecimento da variação da composição química dos solos residuais. A finalidade deste trabalho passa também pela abordagem aos métodos tradicionais de ensaio para determinação das características químicas e mineralógicas dos solos residuais e respetiva rocha-mãe dos maciços em estudo, recorrendo à análise química por espectometria de fluorescência de raios-X (FRX) e análise mineralógica por difracção de raio-X (DRX). Foram obtidas as várias propriedades físicas e mecânicas, tanto “in situ” como no laboratório, recorrendo para tal, à execução de diferentes ensaios, tais como: análise granulométrica, composição textural, limites de consistência, teor em água (no estado natural), expansibilidade, equivalente de areia, densidade, permeabilidade e teor em matéria orgânica. Faz-se uma comparação entre as principais características (a nível da microestrutura, da macroestrutura, da composição mineralógica, geoquímica e textural) que se desenvolvem ao longo de cada perfil de alteração, assim como do seu comportamento geotécnico expectável, [Blight, 1997]. Apresenta-se uma análise comparativa dos resultados experimentais obtidos nos três perfis de alteração de tipos litológicos distintos (granito, granodiorito e quartzodiorito). É apresentada também a avaliação e evolução das propriedades ao longo de cada perfil, com base nos dados provenientes dos ensaios “in-situ” e laboratoriais efetuados. Este trabalho permite evidenciar a importância de proceder à caracterização geológico-geotécnica dos solos residuais de rochas granitóides dada a vasta extensão de ocorrências destes materiais, não só em Portugal como também noutras regiões do mundo, de modo a determinar a sua aplicação nas diferentes obras de engenharia

Determinant Factors of the Organizational Innovative Performance: Cooperation, Absorptive Capacity and Public Policy

This paper aims to analyze the determinants of the innovative performance of the Portuguese firms which, in the context of this research are: cooperation, public policies to stimulate innovation and absorptive capacity. Indeed, the set of approaches that have come to appear as a reference of the subject of innovation are assumed of conceptual importance, leading to an empirical basis that allows to analyze the determinants of innovative performance, using the available data from the Community Innovation Survey CIS 2010 and the application of statistical patterns, through logistic regression modelsinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Barriers to innovation activities as determinants of ongoing activities or abandoned

Purpose – This paper aims to analyses barriers as a determinant of ongoing or abandoned innovation activities. The literature exploits barriers as the nature of innovation and its influence on firm’s. The main focus is the Portuguese SMEs and the impacts that act as barriers in the development of innovation activities. Design/methodology/approach – The database was obtained through the Community Innovation Survey 2010 (CIS 2010) that was coordinated by EUROSTAT. In this sense, a logistic regression model is proposed, which makes it possible to analyse the relations between three or more variables, depending on whether the relationship is one of dependence or interdependence, thus allowing the application of distinct statistical techniques, using 6,160 firms Findings – There are several sources of information that are associated with the development of innovation projects. Practical implications – The importance of barriers to the development of innovation activities, as well as it being a decisive factor in the impediment to and abandon of the same, was noted. Originality/value – This study also demonstrated that each case is different and that a barrier in one firm can at the same time be a window of opportunity for another firm.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Meiofauna metabarcoding in Lima estuary (Portugal) suggests high taxon replacement within a background of network stability

Meiofauna organisms play an important role in ecological and sedimentary processes in estuarine ecosystems. Recently, the application of environmental DNA (eDNA) for investigating meiofauna in different environments, improved the accessibility to its diversity and composition in a scale, frequency and depth previously unattainable. Nevertheless, little attention has been given to the description of baseline patterns of coupled spatial and temporal dynamics of meiobenthic communities. In an earlier study conducted in Lima estuary (NW Portugal), using eDNA metabarcoding of sediment samples, high levels of meiofauna Operational Taxonomic Units (OTUs) turnover were recorded, between sampling points only a few metres apart, and among sampling stations along the estuary. In order to verify the consistency of these patterns, in the current study we re-assessed Lima estuary's meiofauna communities approximately 1 year after, applying the same methodological approach (targeting segments of the COI and 18S rRNA genes), and expanding HTS-data analyses through the use of association networks. A high degree of spatial turnover was found both within and between sampling stations and this was consistent for both markers and years. As a consequence, most of the beta-diversity was accounted by OTU replacement with only a minor contribution from OTU richness. Despite the high levels of OTU replacement, relatively stable network properties were found in meiofaunal communities, irrespective of the sampled year. Network properties appear to shift sharply from the downstream/high salinity area of the estuary to the mesohaline medium-upstream areas, suggesting high resilience and redundancy of meiofaunal communities along the estuarine gradient. The recognition of meiofauna's networks features may improve the understanding of the ecology and dynamics of these communities that apparently hold large portions of variable elements, thereby making difficult their analyses solely based on the OTU/species composition.This study was funded by the project "The NextSea: Next generation monitoring of coastal ecosystems in a scenario of global change'' (operacao NORTE-01-0145-FEDER-000032), supported by Norte Portugal Regional Operational Programme (NORTE 2020), under the PORTUGAL 2020 Partnership Agreement, through the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF). Maria Fais and Sofia Duarte were supported, respectively by a Ph.D. (SFRH/BD/113547/2015) and a post-doc fellowship (SFRH/BPD/109842/2015) from FCT. The authors would like to thank Prof. Jesus Troncoso (University of Vigo) and Prof. Pedro Gomes (University of Minho) for their availability and hospitality for the lab processing; Dr. Bruno Sampieri and Barbara Leite (University of Minho) for the great support during the implementation of the practical stage of the research. The authors would like also to thank the anonymous reviewers for critically reading the manuscript and suggesting substantial improvements

Biosensors for On-Farm Diagnosis of Mastitis

Bovine mastitis is an inflammation of the mammary gland caused by a multitude of pathogens with devastating consequences for the dairy industry. Global annual losses are estimated to be around €30 bn and are caused by significant milk losses, poor milk quality, culling of chronically infected animals, and occasional deaths. Moreover, mastitis management routinely implies the administration of antibiotics to treat and prevent the disease which poses serious risks regarding the emergence of antibiotic resistance. Conventional diagnostic methods based on somatic cell counts (SCC) and plate-culture techniques are accurate in identifying the disease, the respective infectious agents and antibiotic resistant phenotypes. However, pressure exists to develop less lengthy approaches, capable of providing on-site information concerning the infection, and in this way, guide, and hasten the most adequate treatment. Biosensors are analytical tools that convert the presence of biological compounds into an electric signal. Benefitting from high signal-to-noise ratios and fast response times, when properly tuned, they can detect the presence of specific cells and cell markers with high sensitivity. In combination with microfluidics, they provide the means for development of automated and portable diagnostic devices. Still, while biosensors are growing at a fast pace in human diagnostics, applications for the veterinary market, and specifically, for the diagnosis of mastitis remain limited. This review highlights current approaches for mastitis diagnosis and describes the latest outcomes in biosensors and lab-on-chip devices with the potential to become real alternatives to standard practices. Focus is given to those technologies that, in a near future, will enable for an on-farm diagnosis of mastitisinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Multifunctionality in an Ion-Exchanged Porous Metal-Organic Framework

Porous robust materials are typically the primary selection of several industrial processes. Many of these compounds are, however, not robust enough to be used as multifunctional materials. This is typically the case of Metal-Organic Frameworks (MOFs) which rarely combine several different excellent functionalities into the same material. In this report we describe the simple acid-base postsynthetic modification of isotypical porous rare-earth-phosphonate MOFs into a truly multifunctional system, maintaining the original porosity features: [Ln(H3pptd)]·xSolvent [where Ln3+ = Y3+ (1) and (Y0.95Eu0.05)3+ (1_Eu)] are converted into [K3Ln(pptd)]·zSolvent [where Ln3+ = Y3+ (1K) and (Y0.95Eu0.05)3+ (1K_Eu)] by immersing the powder of 1 and 1_Eu into an ethanolic solution of KOH for 48 h. The K+-exchanged Eu3+-based material exhibits a considerable boost in CO2 adsorption, capable of being reused for several consecutive cycles. It can further separate C2H2 from CO2 from a complex ternary gas mixture composed of CH4, CO2, and C2H2. This high adsorption selectivity is, additionally, observed for other gaseous mixtures, such as C3H6 and C3H8, with all these results being supported by detailed theoretical calculations. The incorporation of K+ ions notably increases the electrical conductivity by 4 orders of magnitude in high relative humidity conditions. The conductivity is assumed to be predominantly protonic in nature, rendering this material as one of the best conducting MOFs reported to date.publishe

Fatores que influenciam a procura de apoio financeiro proveniente das políticas públicas para a inovação

O presente estudo visa analisar o impacto dos relacionamentos internos e externos na procura dos vários tipos de apoio financeiro público. Também se analisou a influência da capacidade de absorção na procura de apoio proveniente das políticas públicas de estímulo à inovação. Através do inquérito CIS 2010 - Inquérito Comunitário à Inovação 2010, os resultados evidenciaram que os relacionamentos externos estabelecidos com parceiros institucionais e com outros parceiros externos, bem como os relacionamentos estabelecidos no interior da empresa influenciam a procura de apoio financeiro público ao nível da Administração Central. Demonstrouse também uma propensão para terem pessoas com formação superior ao serviço da empresa e realizam atividades de I&D tanto na empresa como fora dela. A realização deste estudo contribui para o desenvolvimento da teoria existente ao analisar os determinantes que influenciam as empresas em procurar apoio financeiro público.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Variability in historical emissions trends suggests a need for a wide range of global scenarios and regional analyses

Long-term developments in carbon dioxide emissions have tracked the middle of projected emission scenario ranges over the past three decades. If this tendency continues, it seems increasingly less likely that future emissions will follow current high-emission scenarios. However, in the past, periods of slow and fast global emissions growth was observed, which have led to previous critiques of scenarios being too low or too high. In the light of such unpredictability and since scenarios are meant to explore plausible futures, we here argue that a broad range of emission scenarios continue to be considered input in scenario-based analyses of future climate change. Furthermore, we find substantial regional differences in emissions trends. Territorial emissions in OECD countries fall on the low side of emission scenario ranges, whereas non-OECD territorial emissions fell closer to the medium or high-end. Since non-OECD emissions will become increasingly important, we recommend further exploring the relationships between regional and global emissions to support scenario assumptions and climate policymaking