Development of novel strains for the production of biofuels

The growing global demand for new energy sources combined with environmental concerns had motivated the search for alternative fuels, produced from renewable raw materials. In this sense, n-butanol (also designed as 1-butanol) is considered the next generation of biofuels due to its superior fuel characteristics when compared with ethanol, including higher energy density, lower hygroscopicity and volatility. Besides its application as fuel, n-butanol has an important role in the manufacturing of pharmaceuticals, polymers, herbicide esters and butyl xanthate, and is also used as solvent for paints, coatings, natural resins, gums, synthetic resins, dyes, and alkaloids. n-Butanol is naturally produced by solventogenic bacteria through Acetone-Butanol-Ethanol (ABE) fermentation, usually with low productivities. Thus, most of n-butanol is currently chemical synthesised via petrochemical routes and its price is extremely sensitive to crude oils price, becoming imperative to seek for alternative ways to produce it. One possible approach is to express novel biosynthetic pathways in more user-friendly hosts as Escherichia coli or Saccharomyces cerevisiae. In this sense, this work aims at evaluating and implementing in vivo novel pathways to produce n-butanol. These heterologous pathways, previously generated using a (hyper)graph-based algorithm, will be evaluated according to diverse criteria such as size of the solution, yield and novelty. Then, the pathways identified as the most promising ones will be implemented in vivo either in E. coli or S. cerevisiae

Schumpeter’s (1934) influence on entrepreneurship (and management) research

Entrepreneurship research has flourished since de 1980s, following the institutional development that created schools and courses, research centers and dedicated journals. This paper examines the impact of Joseph Schumpeter, one of the main “knowledge producers” whose concepts and ideas on the entrepreneur, entrepreneurship and innovation have shaped the discipline and much of the research on entrepreneurship, and has influenced the thought on other areas of management. Methodologically, we conducted a bibliometric study of the articles published in 16 high stature international journals, over a period of 30 years, between 1981 and 2010. On a sample of 412 articles citing Schumpeter, we analyzed and mapped citations, co-citations and research themes. We further establish distinctions between entrepreneurship and management research. This study presents a manner to examine the influence of a scholar, and a set of conceptualizations he has introduced, on a discipline. Schumpeter has had an imprint in the multidisciplinary and wealth of research themes that entrepreneurship scholars have delved upon but also in other management disciplines, where his perspectives on entrepreneurship, the entrepreneur and innovation have contributed to much of the research conducted to date. Although entrepreneurship has remained largely multidisciplinary and drawing from the main management theories there is a growing body of entrepreneurship-specific literature.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Portugal sou Eu, revealing the ‘Made in Portugal' stamp

This thesis is divided in three chapters: (1) the case study, (2) the teaching notes and (3) the methodology and analysis of a market research study. The main goal of this case study is to provide an exercise in analysing, interpreting and drawing valid conclusions from a market research study, which was done by the case author. The research results, incorporated in the case study, are now the main issue of the meeting of the coordination management team of Portugal Sou Eu (PSE). The results show that PSE brand awareness is low and the management team needs to discuss this problem and come up with potential strategies to solve it, to build a stronger brand. Moreover, this case study also aims at discussing the past with topics such as: types of media, opinion leadership and country-of-origin effects.Este trabalho está dividido por três capítulos: (1) o caso de estudo, (2) as notas de ensino e (3) a metodologia e análise de uma pesquisa de mercado. O principal objectivo deste caso de estudo é proporcionar um exercício de análise, interpretação e elaboração de conclusões válidas a partir de um estudo de mercado realizado pelo autor do caso. Os resultados do estudo de mercado, incorporados no caso de estudo, são agora o principal tema da reunião da equipa de coordenação do programa Portugal Sou Eu (PSE). Os resultados mostram que a notoriedade da marca PSE está baixa e a equipa tem de discutir sobre este problema e elaborar possíveis estratégias para resolvê-lo e construir uma marca mais forte. Além disso, o caso de estudo também tem como objectivo discutir o passado , com temas como: tipos de media, líderes de opinião e efeitos do país de origem

Management accounting practices in Portuguese SMES : methods and data generating process for an exploratory study

According to research around Management Accounting Practices (MAPs), these play a significant role in guaranteeing the efficiency of a firm’s management and may even boost performance (Zabri et al., 2013). However, there appears to be little evidence supporting a positive effect of MAPs implementation on performance in the context of Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs). Moreover, proper characterization of the implementation of MAPs in Portugal’s SMEs is missing. This project proposes a set of methods and detailed data generating process for an exploratory study to fill this gap. Such study would enable a characterization of the implementation of MAPs in Portugal’s SMEs and a characterization of its impact on organizational performance: both financial and non-financial.A literatura em torno de Management Accounting Practices (MAP) sugere que estes desempenham um papel significativo na garantia da eficiência da gestão das empresas e podem até mesmo aumentar o seu desempenho (Zabri et al., 2013). No entanto, há pouca evidência que sustente o efeito positivo da implementação de MAPs no desempenho de Pequenas e Médias Empresas (PMEs). Adicionalmente, não existe uma caracterização adequada relativa à implementação de MAPs em PMEs portuguesas. Com o objetivo de contribuir para o preenchimento deste gap existente na literatura, este projeto propõe um conjunto de métodos e um processo detalhado para a geração de dados que possibilitem um estudo exploratório. Tal estudo iria permitir realizar uma caracterização da implementação de MAPs em PMEs portuguesas e caracterizar o seu impacto no desempenho organizacional: financeiro e não financeiro

Differences in AD astrocyte phenotypes and responses to microglial-derived cytokines

Dysregulated cross-talk between activated glia and neurons, mediated by exosomal trafficking, is a key mechanism in the spreading of neuroinflammation and in the exacerbation of the Alzheimer’s disease (AD) pathology. In AD patients, A1 reactive astrocytes are found in brain regions affected by neurodegeneration, and display a neurotoxic profile that is crucial for the disease progression. Despite its pivotal role in AD progression, the astroglial population remains strikingly under-investigated, mainly due to the lack of reliable experimental biological platforms to study glial cell function in a disease context. In this thesis, our goal was to develop a human model able to recapitulate the pathological potential of AD astrocytes, thus surpassing species-specific differences in the study of neurodegenerative mechanisms. For that we differentiated astrocytes from iPSCs generated from the fibroblasts of AD patients and healthy matched controls. After a time-consuming process of differentiation, iPSCs-derived astrocytes from AD patients with PSEN1ΔE9 mutation showed a decrease in cellular HMGB1, S100B and microRNA (miR)-155 expression, together with a reduction in the number of GFAP-positive cells, a finding sustained after A1 induction for 48 h exposure to microglial cytokines (C1q/IL-1α/TNF-α), relatively to matched controls. Such treatment decreased cell arborisation leading to polarization as fibroblast-like and rounded cells, with increased mean surface area, and triggered the release of sAPPβ. A1 stimulation increased miR-155 in cells and exosomes, while diminished the cellular increase in miR-21 and miR-125b by inducing their package in exosomes, thus favouring the dissemination of inflammation to far and near cells. As observed in vivo, our cell population showed astrocyte heterogeneity, mainly for alarmins and miRNAs. In sum, astrocytic atrophy and abnormal distribution of inflammatory-miRNA in iPSCs-derived astrocytes carrying the PSEN1ΔE9 mutation and in their exosomes may provide important tools in targeting discovery, therapeutic development and personalised medicine for AD intervention

Revolutionizing the supermarket experience : the effect of real time promotions on coupon conversion and brand equity

Retailers face a complex task in designing promotional strategies in today’s business environment and, since Millennials will revolutionize consumer marketing, it is critical for companies to succeed in attracting them in order to thrive. As consumers shop while using their smartphone, there is an opportunity window for retailers to easily attract them, by sending push notifications with Real Time Promotions to their smartphones. Hence, the main purpose of this dissertation is to understand whether having Real Time Promotions, in the form of digital coupons, increases coupon redemption and retailer’s brand equity. It also aims to understand if the form in which the coupon is presented, either percentage or cents-off, influences its usage by consumers. Additionally, it will allow us to see if there is a specific consumer profile who will value the most these promotions. For this matter, an online experimental study and seven in-depth interviews were made to reach insightful information. The main conclusions taken from the present study indicate that RTP may increase coupon redemption since coupons are delivered in the store and available for a short time period, signalling time urgency. Regarding the coupon face value, being framed in percentage-off (vs. cents-off) increases coupon redemption for both low-priced and high-priced products, in a supermarket context. Moreover, the implementation of Real Time Promotions enhances retailer’s Brand Equity and these promotions were found to be more relevant for younger consumers.Os retalhistas enfrentam uma tarefa complexa ao desenvolver estratégias promocionais no atual ambiente de negócios e, uma vez que os Millennials irão revolucionar o marketing de consumo, é fundamental que as empresas consigam atraí-los para prosperar. Uma vez que os consumidores utilizam o telemóvel enquanto fazem compras, existe uma oportunidade para os retalhistas os atraírem facilmente enviando notificações com promoções em tempo real para os seus smartphones. Assim, o objetivo principal desta dissertação é perceber se as Promoções em Tempo Real, na forma de vales de desconto digitais, aumentam a redenção dos mesmos e a brand equity do retalhista. Este estudo pretende também investigar se a forma em que o cupão é apresentado, quer em percentagem ou dinheiro, influencia o seu uso pelos consumidores e se existe um perfil específico do consumidor que valorize mais estas promoções. Com este propósito, um questionário on-line e sete entrevistas foram feitas para obter informações mais detalhadas. As principais conclusões do presente estudo indicam que as Promoções em Tempo Real podem aumentar o uso de vales de desconto, uma vez que são entregues em loja e estão disponíveis por um período limitado de tempo, criando pressão no consumidor. Verificou-se também que os cupões em percentagem, em vez de euros, têm um resgate maior tanto para produtos mais baratos como para os produtos mais caros. Além disso, a implementação destas promoções aumenta a brand equity do retalhista e é mais relevante para os consumidores mais jovens

Expanding a B2B brand into the B2C market: The case of Mistolin Solutions

The rise and spread of the internet have significantly impacted businesses, encouraging new activities and operations for companies, which can now more easily expand their business in terms of clients and geography. This research focuses on the case of the B2B company Mistolin Solutions, the largest Portuguese distribution network of professional hygiene and cleaning products, which aims to explore the possibility of expanding into the B2C market with the support of its online store. The general research objective is then to analyze the perception of the B2C market towards the online store of the brand. The study adopts a quantitative survey methodology, resorting to the questionnaire technique. A total of 138 valid responses were collected from end consumers. Findings demonstrate that, among the nine addressed independent variables, only perceived benefits and discount proneness significantly and positively influence the general interest of purchasing in the online store of the brand. Additionally, the kitchen, surfaces and pavements, and ecological products categories were found to be the most attractive ones for end consumers. Lastly, end consumers general interest in buying from Mistolin Solutions online store proved to not be significant enough