Self‐reported food and drug allergy in Maputo, Mozambique

Public Health. 2005 Jul;119(7):587-9. Self-reported food and drug allergy in Maputo, Mozambique. Lunet N, Falcão H, Sousa M, Bay N, Barros H. SourceDepartment of Hygiene and Epidemiology, University of Porto Medical School, Portugal. [email protected] PMID: 15925673 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE

Stakeholder management: the new role of business diplomacy

Purpose: Stakeholder relations has been largely based upon a two-way public relations model. Along with this change, business diplomacy emerged as a proposal to renew stakeholder management. It is still uncertain if this proposal adds value to stakeholder management, which this study seeks to clarify. Design/methodology/approach: Corporate representatives in charge of stakeholder management were invited to participate in an online survey measuring both public relations and business diplomacy activities. With a sample of 104 companies, factorial analyses were conducted on public relations and business diplomacy activities comparing model quality. Findings: This study finds that public relations and business diplomacy activities share identity but not to the point of being fused and are thus different in nature. The best model showed three overarching functions (communication, influence and intelligence) implying that stakeholder management needs both public relations and business diplomacy. Research limitations/implications: Findings suggest both public relations and business diplomacy research should be included in advanced stakeholder management studies. Practical implications: By acknowledging the role that business diplomacy plays in stakeholder management, companies may place influence at the core of the renewed stakeholder management strategy to better deal with the increasingly complex business environment. Originality/value: This study adds clarity to the role of public relations and business diplomacy in stakeholder management based on actual activities developed in organizations and reveals the underlying dimensions of communication, influence and intelligence.info:eu-repo/semantics/acceptedVersio

Approximating the conformal map of elongated quadrilaterals by domain decomposition

Let $Q:=\{ \Omega;z_1,z_2,z_3,z_4\}$ be a quadrilateral consisting of a Jordan domain $\Omega$ and four points $z_1$, $z_2$, $z_3$, $z_4$ in counterclockwise order on $\partial \Omega$ and let $m(Q)$ be the conformal module of $Q$. Then, $Q$ is conformally equivalent to the rectangular quadrilateral $\{R_{m(Q)};0,1,1+im(Q),im(Q)\},$, where $R_{m(Q)}:=\{(\xi,\eta):0<\xi<1, \ 0 <\eta<m(Q)\},$ in the sense that there exists a unique conformal map $f: \Omega \rightarrow R_{m(Q)}$ that takes the four points $z_1$, $z_2$, $z_3$, $z_4$, respectively onto the four vertices $0$, $1$, $1+im(Q)$, $im(Q)$ of $R_{m(Q)}$. In this paper we consider the use of a domain decomposition method (DDM) for computing approximations to the conformal map $f$, in cases where the quadrilateral $Q$ is "long". The method has been studied already but, mainly, in connection with the computation of $m(Q)$. Here we consider certain recent results of Laugesen, for the DDM approximation of the conformal map $f: \Omega \rightarrow R_{m(Q)}$ associated with a special class of quadrilaterals (viz. quadrilaterals whose two non-adjacent boundary segments $(z_2,z_3)$ and $(z_4,z_1)$ are parallel straight lines) and seek to extend these results to more general quadrilaterals. By making use of the available DDM theory for conformal modules, we show that the corresponding theory for $f$ can, indeed, be extended to a much wider class of quadrilaterals than those considered by Laugesen

Telecommuting potential analysis

Commuting is a problem for developed societies that translates into economic, social and environmental losses. This study is set to explore the potential of telecommuting. The empirical study started with interviews to build a survey that was answered by 126 Lisbon commuters. Results show interviewees perceived telecommuting consequences are in line with extant research and that attitudes towards telecommuting (productivity, and cost savings) are predictors of the intention to accept telecommuting offers. Likewise, professional tenure and work-to-home stress foster a more favourable attitude related to productivity / quality of working life while displacement mode (active) and home-to-work stress foster a more favourable attitude related with cost savings. The study concludes that there is considerable potential for telecommuting and that the process of implementing telecommuting as an HRM policy is doable based on the attitudes identified in the model developed.info:eu-repo/semantics/acceptedVersio

Does customer-based reputation add to social and mass media reputation in judging social responsibility of banks?

Purpose: Reputation is a critical asset for finance and banking organizations where the mere suspicion of a problem suffices to trigger media turmoil with high risk of market share losses. Investing in media to build reputation has been therefore a priority for banks. However, another source of reputation may stem from direct front-office contact and it is yet unknown to which extent it plays a role when confronted with the widespread social and mass media reach. This study aims at testing the extent of the importance of customer-based reputation, as against media-based reputation, in explaining customer outcomes.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Elemental and topographic characterization of LDPE based copolymeric films obtained by gamma irradiation

The preparation of PE-g-HEMA (polyethylene-grafted-hydroxyethyl methacrylate) films by 60Co gamma irradiation has been optimized to produce a new material suitable for bioapplications.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/B6TJN-4PKFGWY-1/1/ce67dece44bee190c7fdab19460ed6d

Terra preta nova.

Amazonian soils are almost universally thought of as extremely forbidding. However, it is now clear that complex societies with large, sedentary populations were present for over a millenium before European contact. Associated with these are tracts of anomalously fertile, dark soils termed terra preta. These soils are presently an important agricultural resource within Amazonia. They provide a model for developing long-term future sustainability of food production simple carbon based soil technologies in tropical environments, particularly among small holders

Modeling and simulation of micro direct methanol Fuel Cells

Fuel cells have unique technological attributes: efficiency, absence of moving parts and low emissions. The Direct Methanol Fuel Cell (DMFC) has attracted much attention due to its potential applications as a power source for transportation and portable electronic devices. With the advance of micromachining technologies, miniaturization of power sources became one of the trends of evolution of research in this area. Based on the advantages of the scaling laws, miniaturization promises higher efficiency and performance of power generating devices, so, MicroDMFC is an emergent technology. Models play an important role in fuel cell development since they facilitate a better understanding of parameters affecting the performance of fuel cells. In this work, a steady state, one-dimensional model accounting for coupled heat and mass transfer, along with the electrochemical reactions occurring in a fuel cell, already developed and validated for DMFC in [1-3], is used to predict Micro DMFC performance. The model takes in account all relevant phenomena occurring in a DMFC. Polarization curves predicted by the model are compared with experimental data existing in literature and the model shows good agreement, mainly for lower current densities. The model is used to predict some important parameters to analyze fuel cell performance, such as water transport coefficient and leakage current density. This easily to implement simplified model is suitable for use in real-time MicroDMFC simulations