Standards compliance as an alternative learning opportunity under globalization in Latin America

globalization, technological infrastructures, certification, capability, Latin America, Chile

The motivations, organisation and outcomes of university-industry interaction in the Netherlands

This paper aims at analysing the impact of institutional and organizational factors on bridging industrial and university motivations for collaboration, as well as on the content, management and outcome of this relationship, in the Netherlands. In particular, we explore which type of projects, set up under specific industrial and university motivations, are more likely to face institutional barriers related to technology, market and organisational incentives frameworks. Moreover, we analyse the impact of technology transfer offices, research sponsoring, part-time professorships, and patenting on aligning university and industry motivations towards collaboration. To proceed empirically, thirty in-depth cases of successful university-industry knowledge transfer are analysed.university-industry interaction, innovation cooperation

Steroid signalling via nuclear hormone receptors

Hormone-sensing in the brain is essential for reproduction and consequent survival of species. In females, estrogen must exert simultaneous positive- and negative-feedback on the anteroventral periventricular nucleus (AVPV) and the arcuate Nucleus (ARC) of the hypothalamus, respectively, to maintain fertility. However, even though the positive effects of estrogen in the hypothalamus have been extensively investigated, the mechanistic basis for the opposing feedback of estrogen in the arcuate nucleus has, for decades, remained elusive. In order to understand what is driving the differential effects of estrogen in the ARC and AVPV, we analysed and compared the expression of estrogen target genes and coregulatory proteins in these two female hypothalamic nuclei under basal and estrogen treated conditions. We found that the arcuate nucleus and anteroventral periventricular nucleus respond differently to estrogen. And that, the nuclear receptor Dax1, which acts as a region-specific ligand-dependant repressor of estrogen-receptor (ERα) activity, is, by far, the most enriched gene in the arcuate nucleus. Here, we show for the first time that the negative-feedback in the ARC is mediated by the nuclear receptor Dax1. It couples gonadotropin release to the developmental stage of the oocyte, and mice lacking this mechanism have abnormal estrogen-stimulated gonadotropin secretion and fail to cycle normally. As such, the interaction between Dax1 and ERα in the female hypothalamus explains the paradoxical observation of estrogen negative-feedback, and is shown here to be essential for normal fertility. Further to this, we show that the C57BL/6J background is highly sensitive to male-to-female sex-reversal in the absence of the nuclear receptor Dax1, and that a minority of sex-reversed XY (Dax1-/Y) mice have markers of fertility and can produce live offspring without any assisted fertility treatment. As such, our observations in sex-reversed XY (Dax1-/Y) mice support the notion that XY sex-reversal is not formally incompatible with reproduction. However, our data also suggest that the inter-individual milieu of mechanical and development complications caused by the presence of the Y-chromosome makes successful reproduction highly unlikely.Open Acces

Entrepreneurial attitude, geographical isolation and university students - some evidence from the Atlantic

Some regions like Island of Madeira show high levels of firm birth rate. But the entrepreneurial experience is quite different from the European reality given the high level of micro-business owing o subsistence reasons, as a response to the reduced opportunity costs, the lack of profitable employment options and the high levels of unemployment. As a consequence the high level of entrepreneurship is only partially related to high tech innovative firms, qualified employment growth and economic diversification. The majority of the new firms are linked with traditional sectors (restaurants, boutiques, personal services and civil construction. Firm creation is also a result of the EU integration and cohesion policies. On the other hand infra-structure development policies explain the increasing importance of the public administration in terms of employment and consequently the low levels of unemployment. Traditionally, in the islands, the government intervention in terms of employment, economic planning is considered excessive. The island economies have been able to benefit from large streams of international solidarity in terms of high external aid per capita especially due to their strategic relevance. But the global economic and political change associated with the globalisation put increasing pressure on the island forcing them to reformulate their economic, social and political options. International donors and institutions like World Bank stresses issues such as economic diversification, economic and social modernisation and macroeconomic policies focused o supply side effects and the development of economic growth determining factors. Due to the reduced levels of international aid, islands are obliged to diminish levels of government intervention connected to public employment and direct production activities and to enhance private initiatives and entrepreneurship. In what concerns the outermost regions the EU enlargement demands increasing levels of competitivity, financial autonomy, economic diversification and entrepreneurial attitude. Given the lack of studies in this geographical area, the on-going economic, social and cultural modernisation induced by the integration in The EU sphere and the widespread perception about the changing times, we intend in this study to give some answers to the following questions: .how is the entrepreneurial attitude affected by the historical record of high levels of government intervention and public employment? .what kind of impacts results from the perceived “island penalty”, in terms of propensity towards entrepreneurship? .What is the main obstacle to the entrepreneurial event? .Should one wish to create a firm, what is the probability of the stated preference is in the high tech sectors? What kind of support will be required and welcomed from the public institutions? Studies and academic studies in islands have some advantages. The agglomeration of institutions, populations, firms and social networks in a reduced geographical space enable us to capture in some detail a vast group of variables, relationships and cause effects linked to a specific subject. Islands societies have a large and cohesive social capital, and share a homogenous set of values and cultural attitudes, which facilitates experiences of collective action. To conduct an empirical test in order to find out the most influential variables in the entrepreneurship attitude we use logit equations. The sample is made up of local university students, theoretically the most apt in developing innovative firms. We investigate also the differences between economics and managements and humanities students in terms of entrepreneurship propensity. An important matter in isolated, peripheral and underdeveloped regions is the diffusion of innovations. Consequently, student’s sources of information and knowledge regarding the overall tendencies of profitable, innovative and fashionable entrepreneurial experiences must be identified. Therefore, this paper describes the changing and uncertain economic and political environment faced by islands societies. A contextualisation of the relationship between entrepreneurship, economic growth and insular penalty is stretched and lastly, we provide an empirical study related to the entrepreneurial attitude in an insular region: The Island of Madeira.

Seasonal photosynthesis, respiration, and calcification of a temperate Maërl bed in southern Portugal

Rhodolith (maerl) beds are biodiversity hotspots with a worldwide distribution. Maerl is the general term for free-living non-geniculate rhodoliths or coralline red algae. In southern Portugal, maerl beds are mainly composed of Phymatolithon lusitanicum, recently identified as a new species and commonly misidentified as Phymatolithon calcareum. Photosynthesis, respiration, and growth rates of the algae were measured seasonally, as well as the photosynthetic pigment composition. To characterize the seasonal and interannual patterns of key abiotic conditions in the largest described maerl bed of the Portuguese coast, temperature, irradiance, and dissolved oxygen were continuously monitored over a 2-year period. At the bed depth (22 m), temperature ranged between 14 degrees C in winter and 24 degrees C in summer, irradiance varied from 5 to 75 mu.mol m(-2) s(-1) , and dissolved oxygen from 5.8 to 7.25 mg O-2 L-1. We found a strong linear relationship (r(2) = 0.95) between gross primary production (GPP) and relative electron transport rates (rETRs). Both methods led to similar results and an average molar ratio of 0.24. Photosynthesis and respiration increased in summer and decreased in autumn and winter. In the summer of 2013, the growth rates were twofold higher (1.34 mu.mol CaCO3 g(-1) day(-1)) than in the other seasons. In winter and spring, to compensate for light deprivation and low temperature, algae increased their chlorophyll a and carotenoid concentrations while also decreasing their phycobilin concentration, in this case probably due to nutrient limitation. To isolate the role of temperature on the algae's metabolism, the photosynthetic and respiration rates of individual thalli were measured at eight different temperatures in the laboratory (from 12 degrees C to 26 degrees C). Phymatolithon lusitanicum photosynthesis increased twofold after a threshold of 18 degrees C (from 2.2 at 18 degrees C to 3.87 mu mol O-2 m(-2) s(-1) at 20 degrees C), whereas respiration increased fourfold with temperature after a threshold of 22 degrees C (from -0.38 at 18 degrees C to -1.81 (mu mol O-2 m(-2) s(-1) at 24 degrees C). The significant increases on respiration, photosynthetic rates, and maximum growth with temperature reveal that the metabolic rates of P. lusitanicum are highly sensitive to ocean warming.UIDB/04326/2020info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Bioprocessing of macroalgae for bioactive compounds production with food and feed applications

Dissertação de mestrado em BiotechnologyA indústria de macroalgas atual baseia-se na produção de um único composto, como alginatos, agar ou corantes, sendo que os subprodutos são tratados como resíduo. Assim, esta indústria enfrenta o desafio de desenvolver processos que permitam obter vários produtos com atividade biológica. A fermentação em estado sólido (SSF) é um processo biotecnológico de baixo custo que pode produzir compostos bioativos, como enzimas e compostos antioxidantes. As macroalgas verdes como a Ulva rigida têm potencial para ser usadas como ingrediente em aquacultura. No entanto, estas são difíceis de digerir para muitas espécies de peixe. Neste sentido, a SSF pode alterar a estrutura de polissacarídeos para facilitar a digestão das macroalgas e pode ainda produzir uma grande variedade de produtos com aplicações alimentares como proteínas, enzimas e compostos antioxidantes. O principal objetivo deste projeto é o processamento sequencial da U. rigida por SSF e hidrólise enzimática (EH) para produzir produtos de valor acrescentado e aumentar o valor nutricional das macroalgas, promovendo assim uma economia circular. O passo da hidrólise enzimática foi otimizado pelo desenho experimental Box-Behnken. Durante a SSF da U. rigida produziram-se celulases (40 ± 1 U/g) e xilanases (160 ± 4 U/g). Após a SSF, foi adicionado tampão para iniciar a EH que durou 72h. A variável que teve um maior efeito na libertação de compostos fenólicos, açúcares, atividade antioxidante e aumento da concentração de proteína foi a temperatura. A concentração máxima de compostos fenólicos e atividade antioxidante atingiu-se a uma temperatura intermédia (40°C), a conversão máxima de celulose a glucose e aumento da concentração de proteína atingiram-se à temperatura mais elevada (44°C). As condições ótimas da hidrólise enzimática para maximizar em conjunto as 4 variáveis foram 44°C, carga de sólido 30% w/v e pH 4,1. Nestas condições, atinge-se teoricamente 929 μM de equivalentes de Trolox/g, 1,56 mg de compostos fenólicos totais/g, 231,04 g de proteína/kg e 61% de conversão de celulose para glucose. Em todas as experiências, verificou-se uma diminuição da atividade da xilanase durante a hidrólise enzimática (72h), sendo que a redução foi menor nas experiências realizadas a menor temperatura (35°C). O bioprocessamento da U. rigida por SSF e EH permitiu a obtenção de compostos antioxidantes, açúcares livres que podem ser fermentados noutros produtos de valor acrescentado ou energia e um sólido final enriquecido em proteína. No futuro, devem ser realizadas experiências de modo a aplicar estes produtos na aquacultura.The current seaweed industry is based on a single compound production, as alginates, carrageenan, agars, or colorants, being the remaining seaweed byproduct treated as waste. Thus, macroalgae industry faces the challenge of developing processes allowing to obtain multi-products with biological activities. Solid-state fermentation (SSF) is a low-cost biotechnology process that can produce bioactive compounds as enzymes and antioxidant compounds. Green macroalgae as Ulva rigida have potential to be used as ingredient in aquaculture. However, they are difficult to digest by many species of fish. In this sense, SSF can alter the structure of polysaccharides to facilitate digestion of macroalgae, and it can also produce a wide variety of valuable products for feed applications, such as proteins, enzymes, and antioxidant compounds. The main aim of this project is the sequential bioprocessing of U. rigida by SSF and enzymatic hydrolysis (EH) to produce value-added products and increase the nutritional value of macroalgae, promoting a circular economy. The EH stage was optimized by Box-Behnken experimental design. During SSF were produced cellulases (40 ± 1 U/g) and xylanases (160 ± 4 U/g). After SSF, it was added the buffer to carry out EH during 72h. The variable that had a higher effect on release of phenolic compounds, sugars, antioxidant activity and increase the concentration of protein was the temperature. Maximum concentration of phenolic compounds and antioxidant activity was achieved with intermediate temperature (40°C), the maximum conversion of cellulose to glucose and increase of protein concentration were achieved with the higher temperature (44°C). The optimal conditions of EH to maximize jointly the 4 variables were 44°C, load of solid 30% w/v and pH 4,1. In these conditions, they were predicted an antioxidant activity of 929 μM of Trolox equivalents/g, 1,56 mg of total phenolic compounds U/g, 23,.04 g of crude protein/kg and 61% cellulose conversion to glucose. In all experiments it was observed a decrease of xylanase activity during EH, the reduction was lower in experiments performed with the lowest temperature (35°C). The bioprocessing of U. rigida by SSF and EH allowed to obtain antioxidant compounds, free sugars that can be fermented to other value-added products or energy, and the final solid was enriched in protein. Future works should be performed to apply these products in aquaculture

The performance of female entrepreneurs in Portugal

Mestrado em FinançasEste estudo analisa o desempenho das mulheres empreendedoras Portuguesas. Nós concentramo-nos especificamente em avaliar o desempenho em termos de dimensão inicial da start-up, na sua sobrevivência e no seu crescimento. Foi usada uma base de dados empregador-empregado (QP - "Quadros de Pessoal"), para avaliar start-ups estabelecidas por um único empreendedor, e com atividade decorrente no período anterior. Foram excluídas start-ups às quais não poderia ser identificado pelo menos um fundador ou as informações inerentes a anos anteriores. A nossa principal conclusão é que as mulheres empreendedoras são menos propensas a possuir grandes start-ups, têm menor sobrevivência nos primeiros anos de atividade e têm menos crescimento quando comparadas com homens empreendedores.This study analyzes the performance of Portuguese female entrepreneurs. We evaluate performance in terms of firms initial size, survival and growth. We use an employer?employee dataset (QP - "Quadros de Pessoal"), to evaluate start-ups established by a sole entrepreneur, who were working in the previous period and exclude start-ups which we could not identify at least one owner or their background. Our major findings are female entrepreneurs are less likely to possess larger start-ups, these firms have lower survival in the first years and fewer chances of growing when compared with male entrepreneurs

Families of non-tiling domains satisfying P\'olya's conjecture

We show the existence of classes of non-tiling domains satisfying P\'{o}lya's conjecture, including some two- and three-dimensional examples. This is a consequence of a more general observation asserting that if a domain satisfies P\'olya's conjecture eventually, that is, for a sufficiently large order of the eigenvalues, and may be partioned into $p$ non-overlapping isometric sub-domains, with $p$ arbitrarily large, then there exists an order $p_{0}$ such that for $p$ larger than $p_{0}$ all such sub-domains satisfy P\'olya's conjecture. In particular, this allows us to show that families of thin cylinders satisfy P\'olya's conjecture. We also improve the Berezin-Li-Yau constant for general cylinders.Comment: 8 page

Formal and informal external linkages and firms' innovative strategies: A cross-country comparison

Firms increasingly rely upon external actors for their innovation process. Interaction with these actors may occur formally (i.e. through a collaboration agreement) or informally (i.e. external actors acts as sources of knowledge). This paper analyses the reasons why firms consider it to be important to develop formal and informal external linkages in the innovation process by looking at the role played by firms’ innovative strategies and by taking into account that a complementarity or substitutive relationship might exist between formal and informal linkages. Data come from the Third Community Innovation Survey (CIS 3), where we have access to firm level micro-data from Norway, Sweden, the Netherlands and the UK.External knowledge sources, Innovation strategy, Formal cooperation, Multinomial Probit.