Tourism sector competitiveness in Portugal: applying Porter's Diamond

The tourism sector has stood out for its enormous capacity for growth on a global scale and holding a relevant role both as a tool for the competitiveness and as a driver of regional development. This profile stems not only from its multiplier effects but also the opportunities susceptible to identification within the scope of offsetting regional disparities in growth and prosperity. The objective of this research project consists of evaluating the competitiveness of the regional areas and directorates of tourism in Portugal with the methodology applied requiring the input of primary data (a sample of 446 companies), through a questionnaire aimed at companies displaying the activities characteristic of the World Tourism Organisation satellite account. Through the application of Porter’s Diamond Model, we arrived at a conceptual model through recourse to the Partial Least Square – Path Modelling technique with the objective of analysing the relationships unfolding among the determinant variables to competitiveness in the tourism sector. Despite the results returned proving clear, we also verify that encapsulating competitiveness proves no easy task given how Portugal reports regions with simultaneously very varied and very specific characteristics.O sector do turismo destaca-se pela enorme capacidade de crescimento a nível mundial, desempenhando um papel relevante tanto como ferramenta para a competitividade como enquanto motor do desenvolvimento regional. Este perfil decorre não apenas dos seus efeitos multiplicadores, mas também das oportunidades suscetíveis de identificação no âmbito da compensação das disparidades regionais no crescimento e prosperidade. O objetivo desta investigação consiste em avaliar a competitividade das áreas regionais e direções do turismo em Portugal. Utilizamos dados primários (uma amostra de 446 empresas), através de um questionário destinado a empresas que exibem as atividades características da conta satélite da Organização Mundial de Turismo. Através da aplicação do Modelo de Diamante de Porter, alcançamos um modelo conceitual através do recurso à técnica de Partial Least Square – Path Modelling com o objetivo de analisar as relações que se desdobram entre as variáveis determinantes para a competitividade no setor de turismo. Apesar de os resultados retornados serem claros, verificamos também que o encapsulamento da competitividade não se revela uma tarefa fácil, dado o fato de Portugal englobar regiões com características simultaneamente muito variadas e muito específicas

Morphological aspects and Cox-2 expression after exposure to 780-nm laser therapy in injured skeletal muscle: an in vivo study

Background:The effectiveness of low-level laser therapy in muscle regeneration is still not well known. Objective: To investigate the effects of laser irradiation during muscle healing.Method: For this purpose, 63 rats were distributed to 3 groups: non-irradiated control group (CG); group irradiated at 10 J/cm² (G10); and group irradiated at 50 J/cm² (G50). Each group was divided into 3 different subgroups (n=7), and on days 7, 14 and 21 post-injury the rats were sacrificed.Results:Seven days post-surgery, the CG showed destroyed zones and extensive myofibrillar degeneration. For both treated groups, the necrosis area was smaller compared to the CG. On day 14 post-injury, treated groups demonstrated better tissue organization, with newly formed muscle fibers compared to the CG. On the 21st day, the irradiated groups showed similar patterns of tissue repair, with improved muscle structure at the site of the injury, resembling uninjured muscle tissue organization. Regarding collagen deposition, the G10 showed an increase in collagen synthesis. In the last period evaluated, both treated groups showed statistically higher values in comparison with the CG. Furthermore, laser irradiation at 10 J/cm2 produced a down-regulation of cyclooxygenase 2 (Cox-2) immunoexpression on day 7 post-injury. Moreover, Cox-2 immunoexpression was decreased in both treated groups on day 14.Conclusions:Laser therapy at both fluencies stimulated muscle repair through the formation of new muscle fiber, increase in collagen synthesis, and down-regulation of Cox-2 expression.Universidade Federal de São Carlos Departamento de FisioterapiaUniversidade Estadual de Campinas Faculdade de Ciências Médicas Departamento de CirurgiaUniversidade de São Paulo Departamento de Biomecânica, Medicina e Reabilitação do Sistema LocomotorUniversidade Federal de São Paulo (UNIFESP) Departamento de BiociênciasUNIFESP, Depto. de BiociênciasSciEL

Efeitos da estimulação tatil-cinestésica e vestibular no recém-nascido de baixo peso e avaliação da melhor técnica: uma revisão sistemática e metanálise / Effects of tactile-kinesthetic and vestibular stimulation in low weight newborns and evaluation of best technique: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Durante anos a prematuridade tem se tornado um grande desafio dentro das Unidades de Terapia Intensiva Neonatal (UTIN), pois afeta o desenvolvimento e crescimento dos recém-nascidos (RN) decorrendo de deficiências que começariam a assumir funções normais para sua idade. A estimulação precoce tem como objetivo, devolver ao RN, seu desenvolvimento perfeito ou chegar o mais próximo da normalidade, utilizando condutas especificas, pois logo após o nascimento o cérebro apresenta uma intensa neuroplasticidade. A estimulação tátil-cinestésica proporciona ao RNPTBP, ganho de peso diário e redução do tempo de internação, pois para o recém-nascido a estimulação tátil nos seus primeiros dias de vida é maior do que qualquer outro estímulo sensorial. O objetivo do presente trabalho, foi analisar os efeitos da técnica de estimulação tátil-cinestésica com os efeitos da estimulação vestibular no recém-nascido pré-termo de baixo peso, para fazer uma comparação sobre qual será a melhor para ser aplicada no RNPTBP dentro da UTIN. Este estudo foi realizado de acordo com as recomendações dos relatórios de análises sistemáticas e metanálises (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta- analyses PRISMA). Foram realizadas buscas nas seguintes bases de dados: LiLASC, SCOPUS, PUBMED, PEDro, MEDLINE, Web of Science; Cochrane Libary e Google Scholar. Os períodos abrangidos da pesquisa foram a partir do ano de 2.015 até o ano de 2020. Com base nas análises realizadas neste presente estudo é incontestável que a assistência à neonatos devem ser realizada de forma criteriosa e atenta as necessidades individuais de cada um, pois se essa assistência for prestada de forma inadequada, omissa, e deficiente ao recém-nascido, principalmente em condição prematura e de baixo peso, devido ao seu alto grau de vulnerabilidade, poderá acarretar sérias consequências em seu desenvolvimento que influenciará, por toda a sua vida

Combined fit to the spectrum and composition data measured by the Pierre Auger Observatory including magnetic horizon effects

The measurements by the Pierre Auger Observatory of the energy spectrum and mass composition of cosmic rays can be interpreted assuming the presence of two extragalactic source populations, one dominating the flux at energies above a few EeV and the other below. To fit the data ignoring magnetic field effects, the high-energy population needs to accelerate a mixture of nuclei with very hard spectra, at odds with the approximate E$^{-2}$ shape expected from diffusive shock acceleration. The presence of turbulent extragalactic magnetic fields in the region between the closest sources and the Earth can significantly modify the observed CR spectrum with respect to that emitted by the sources, reducing the flux of low-rigidity particles that reach the Earth. We here take into account this magnetic horizon effect in the combined fit of the spectrum and shower depth distributions, exploring the possibility that a spectrum for the high-energy population sources with a shape closer to E$^{-2}$ be able to explain the observations

Studies of the mass composition of cosmic rays and proton-proton interaction cross-sections at ultra-high energies with the Pierre Auger Observatory

In this work, we present an estimate of the cosmic-ray mass composition from the distributions of the depth of the shower maximum (Xmax) measured by the fluorescence detector of the Pierre Auger Observatory. We discuss the sensitivity of the mass composition measurements to the uncertainties in the properties of the hadronic interactions, particularly in the predictions of the particle interaction cross-sections. For this purpose, we adjust the fractions of cosmic-ray mass groups to fit the data with Xmax distributions from air shower simulations. We modify the proton-proton cross-sections at ultra-high energies, and the corresponding air shower simulations with rescaled nucleus-air cross-sections are obtained via Glauber theory. We compare the energy-dependent composition of ultra-high-energy cosmic rays obtained for the different extrapolations of the proton-proton cross-sections from low-energy accelerator data

Study of downward Terrestrial Gamma-ray Flashes with the surface detector of the Pierre Auger Observatory

The surface detector (SD) of the Pierre Auger Observatory, consisting of 1660 water-Cherenkov detectors (WCDs), covers 3000 km2 in the Argentinian pampa. Thanks to the high efficiency of WCDs in detecting gamma rays, it represents a unique instrument for studying downward Terrestrial Gamma-ray Flashes (TGFs) over a large area. Peculiar events, likely related to downward TGFs, were detected at the Auger Observatory. Their experimental signature and time evolution are very different from those of a shower produced by an ultrahigh-energy cosmic ray. They happen in coincidence with low thunderclouds and lightning, and their large deposited energy at the ground is compatible with that of a standard downward TGF with the source a few kilometers above the ground. A new trigger algorithm to increase the TGF-like event statistics was installed in the whole array. The study of the performance of the new trigger system during the lightning season is ongoing and will provide a handle to develop improved algorithms to implement in the Auger upgraded electronic boards. The available data sample, even if small, can give important clues about the TGF production models, in particular, the shape of WCD signals. Moreover, the SD allows us to observe more than one point in the TGF beam, providing information on the emission angle

The dynamic range of the upgraded surface-detector stations of AugerPrime

The detection of ultra-high-energy cosmic rays by means of giant detector arrays is often limited by the saturation of the recorded signals near the impact point of the shower core at the ground, where the particle density dramatically increases. The saturation affects in particular the highest energy events, worsening the systematic uncertainties in the reconstruction of the shower characteristics. The upgrade of the Pierre Auger Observatory, called AugerPrime, includes the installation of an 1-inch Small PhotoMultiplier Tube (SPMT) inside each water-Cherenkov station (WCD) of the surface detector array. The SPMT allows an unambiguous measurement of signals down to about 250m from the shower core, thus reducing the number of events featuring a saturated station to a negligible level. In addition, a 3.8m2 plastic scintillator (Scintillator Surface Detector, SSD) is installed on top of each WCD. The SSD is designed to match the WCD (with SPMT) dynamic range, providing a complementary measurement of the shower components up to the highest energies. In this work, the design and performances of the upgraded AugerPrime surface-detector stations in the extended dynamic range are described, highlighting the accuracy of the measurements. A first analysis employing the unsaturated signals in the event reconstruction is also presented

Investigating multiple elves and halos above strong lightning with the fluorescence detectors of the Pierre Auger Observatory

ELVES are being studied since 2013 with the twenty-four FD Telescopes of the Pierre Auger Observatory, in the province of Mendoza (Argentina), the world’s largest facility for the study of ultra-high energy cosmic rays. This study exploits a dedicated trigger and extended readout. Since December 2020, this trigger has been extended to the three High levation Auger Telescopes (HEAT), which observe the night sky at elevation angles between 30 and 60 degrees, allowing a study of ELVES from closer lightning. The high time resolution of the Auger telescopes allows us to upgrade reconstruction algorithms and to do detailed studies on multiple ELVES. The origin of multiple elves can be studied by analyzing the time difference and the amplitude ratio between flashes and comparing them with the properties of radio signals detected by the ENTLN lightning network since 2018. A fraction of multi-ELVES can also be interpreted as halos following ELVES. Halos are disc-shaped light transients emitted at 70-80 km altitudes, appearing at the center of the ELVES rings, due to the rearrangement of electric charges at the base of the ionosphere after a strong lightning event