Open Innovation in firms located in an intermediate technology developed country

Open Innovation is a flow of inputs and outputs of knowledge and technology which favours, at the firm level, the acceleration of the innovation process, as well as the establishment and penetration of firms in new markets. This type of innovation incorporates technological innovation from internal and external sources, as well as different ways to access markets. The empirical studies in the area reveal that there is a significant bias in favour of countries of technological frontier, such as the United States, Finland, the Netherlands, Germany or Sweden. The present study aims at covering this gap in literature by examining firms in a country of intermediate technology development – Portugal. Based on 70 innovative firms located in Portugal we found that open innovation is only partially diffused throughout these firms. In addition, open innovation is more widespread in terms of external absorption of knowledge/ technology rather than in terms of knowledge/technology transfer. This result may indicate lack of awareness about the economic potential of making available to third parties the technologies internally created. This may require a different approach to organization/management of R&D, in particular, and of innovation, in general.Open Innovation; Intermediate technology development; Portugal.

Rosuvastatin and vascular dysfunction markers in pulmonary arterial hypertension: a placebo-controlled study

We investigated whether chronic rosuvastatin administration could improve the abnormalities of the circulating levels of vascular dysfunction markers in pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH). Sixty patients, aged 13 to 60 years, with idiopathic (N = 14) or congenital heart disease-associated PAH (N = 46) were equally but randomly assigned to rosuvastatin treatment (10 mg a day, orally) or placebo for 6 months in a blind fashion. Plasma levels of P-selectin, tissue-plasminogen activator and its inhibitor as well as von Willebrand factor antigen were measured by enzyme-linked immunoassay before and after 1, 3, and 6 months of treatment. Baseline levels of biomarkers were elevated (68, 16, 45 and 46% increase relative to controls, for P-selectin, von Willebrand factor antigen, tissue-plasminogen activator and its inhibitor, respectively; P < 0.001). P-selectin values at baseline, 1, 3, and 6 months were 39.9 ± 18.5, 37.6 ± 14.6, 34.8 ± 14.6, and 35.4 ± 13.9 ng/mL, respectively, for the rosuvastatin group and 45.7 ± 26.8, 48.0 ± 26.9, 48.1 ± 25.7, and 45.7 ± 25.6 ng/mL for the placebo group. The P-selectin level was lower in the rosuvastatin group compared with placebo throughout treatment (P = 0.037, general linear model). A trend was observed towards a decrease in tissue-plasminogen activator in the statin group (16% reduction, P = 0.094), with no significant changes in the other markers. Since P-selectin is crucial in inflammation and thrombosis, its reduction by rosuvastatin is potentially relevant in the pathophysiological scenario of PAH.FAPES

Nonintegrable Interaction of Ion-Acoustic and Electromagnetic Waves in a Plasma

In this paper we re-examine the one-dimensional interaction of electromagnetic and ion acoustic waves in a plasma. Our model is similar to one solved by Rao et al. (Phys. Fluids, vol. 26, 2488 (1983)) under a number of analytical approximations. Here we perform a numerical investigation to examine the stability of the model. We find that for slightly over dense plasmas, the propagation of stable solitary modes can occur in an adiabatic regime where the ion acoustic electric field potential is enslaved to the electromagnetic field of a laser. But if the laser intensity or plasma density increases or the laser frequency decreases, the adiabatic regime loses stability via a transition to chaos. New asymptotic states are attained when the adiabatic regime no longer exists. In these new states, the plasma becomes rarefied, and the laser field tends to behave like a vacuum field.Comment: 19 pages, REVTeX, 6 ps figures, accepted for publication in Phys. Rev.

Temperature evaluation in ex-vivo bovine bones submitted to drilling processes

A necrose óssea induzida durante o processo de furação é um fenómeno frequente que contribui para problemas pós-operatórios. O calor de fricção gerado pelo contato entre a broca e a parede do furo é inevitável. No entanto, a utilização de técnicas avançadas para a obtenção do registo térmico durante a furação óssea é importante para a garantia da qualidade durante a furação. O objetivo deste estudo é apresentar dois métodos experimentais diferentes para analisar as condições de furação que geram as temperaturas mais baixas, evitando a ocorrência da necrose óssea. Foram utilizados ossos de bovino ex-vivo para simular o processo de furação considerando os efeitos do diâmetro da broca, velocidade de rotação e velocidade de avanço. Foram realizados diferentes testes experimentais para avaliar a sua repetibilidade. Os resultados identificaram o diâmetro da broca como o parâmetro mais crítico na indução de temperaturas mais elevadas durante a furação óssea.This research was supported by the Portuguese Foundation of Science and Technology under the research project UID/EMS/50022/2013. The third author acknowledges the funding of Project NORTE-01-0145-FEDER-000022-SciTech -Science and Technology for Competitive and Sustainable Industries, co-financed by Programa Operacional Regional do Norte (NORTE2020), through Fundo Europeu de Desenvolvimento Regional (FEDER).info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Perceptions in Living Kidney Donation: What ProtagonistsThink and Feel

Abstract Background Although donor perceptions of donation have been evaluated in several programs, evaluation of associated recipients has not been as frequent. Purpose Our aim was to evaluate and compare after transplantation, donor and recipient perceptions of donation. Methods After transplantation 35 recipients and 45 donors completed a sociodemographic and a donation perception questionnaire. We applied the Fisher test to descriptive (absolute and relative frequency) data. Results 57.8% of donors were female and 62.9% of recipients male. 53.3% of donors were siblings, 44.5% parents, and 2.2% a daughter. Most recipients (71.9%) thought that the donation was the donors' initiative and 21.9% that it was suggested by medical team. 96.4% responded that it was the donor's wish that determined their decision; 51.4% had serious or some doubts about accepting the option, but for 48.6% it was an easy decision. Among the donors, 88.9% decided by themselves and 8.9% were asked for donation. For 91.1%, their wish was the main reason of the decision, but 8.9% felt a moral obligation; 77.8% thought it was an easy decision, and 17.8% hesitated a little 84.4% were not worried about their future health. Conclusions Altruistic motivations were predominant in both groups. Most recipients thought that the motivation for donation was self-determined, a finding that agreed with donor perceptions. Perceptions about the quality of and changes in emotional relationship were the same in both groups. Donors and recipients referred to the donation process as positive, but there were some negative emotions and perceptions

Efeito da aplicação de diferentes regimes de rega deficitária no pessegueiro ‘Sweet Dream’ cultivado num pomar da região da Beira Interior.

Efeito da aplicação de diferentes regimes de rega deficitária no pessegueiro ‘Sweet Dream’ cultivado num pomar da região da Beira Interior.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Efeito da aplicação de diferentes regimes de rega deficitária no pessegueiro ‘Sweet Dream’ cultivado num pomar da região da Beira Interior.

Efeito da aplicação de diferentes regimes de rega deficitária no pessegueiro ‘Sweet Dream’ cultivado num pomar da região da Beira Interior.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Short-term exposure of mice to cigarette smoke and/or residual oil fly ash produces proximal airspace enlargements and airway epithelium remodeling

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is associated with inflammatory cell reactions, tissue destruction and lung remodeling. Many signaling pathways for these phenomena are still to be identified. We developed a mouse model of COPD to evaluate some pathophysiological mechanisms acting during the initial stage of the disease. Forty-seven 6- to 8-week-old female C57/BL6 mice (approximately 22 g) were exposed for 2 months to cigarette smoke and/or residual oil fly ash (ROFA), a concentrate of air pollution. We measured lung mechanics, airspace enlargement, airway wall thickness, epithelial cell profile, elastic and collagen fiber deposition, and by immunohistochemistry transforming growth factor-&#946;1 (TGF-&#946;1), macrophage elastase (MMP12), neutrophils and macrophages. We observed regional airspace enlargements near terminal bronchioles associated with the exposure to smoke or ROFA. There were also increases in airway resistance and thickening of airway walls in animals exposed to smoke. In the epithelium, we noted a decrease in the ciliated cell area of animals exposed to smoke and an increase in the total cell area associated with exposure to both smoke and ROFA. There was also an increase in the expression of TGF-&#946;1 both in the airways and parenchyma of animals exposed to smoke. However, we could not detect inflammatory cell recruitment, increases in MMP12 or elastic and collagen fiber deposition. After 2 months of exposure to cigarette smoke and/or ROFA, mice developed regional airspace enlargements and airway epithelium remodeling, although no inflammation or increases in fiber deposition were detected. Some of these phenomena may have been mediated by TGF-&#946;1

Effect of air pollution on diabetes and cardiovascular diseases in São Paulo, Brazil

Type 2 diabetes increases the risk of cardiovascular mortality and these patients, even without previous myocardial infarction, run the risk of fatal coronary heart disease similar to non-diabetic patients surviving myocardial infarction. There is evidence showing that particulate matter air pollution is associated with increases in cardiopulmonary morbidity and mortality. The present study was carried out to evaluate the effect of diabetes mellitus on the association of air pollution with cardiovascular emergency room visits in a tertiary referral hospital in the city of São Paulo. Using a time-series approach, and adopting generalized linear Poisson regression models, we assessed the effect of daily variations in PM10, CO, NO2, SO2, and O3 on the daily number of emergency room visits for cardiovascular diseases in diabetic and non-diabetic patients from 2001 to 2003. A semi-parametric smoother (natural spline) was adopted to control long-term trends, linear term seasonal usage and weather variables. In this period, 45,000 cardiovascular emergency room visits were registered. The observed increase in interquartile range within the 2-day moving average of 8.0 µg/m³ SO2 was associated with 7.0% (95%CI: 4.0-11.0) and 20.0% (95%CI: 5.0-44.0) increases in cardiovascular disease emergency room visits by non-diabetic and diabetic groups, respectively. These data indicate that air pollution causes an increase of cardiovascular emergency room visits, and that diabetic patients are extremely susceptible to the adverse effects of air pollution on their health conditions.Disciplina de Clínica Médica, Departamento de MedicinaUniversidade de São Paulo - Laboratório de Poluição Atmosférica Experimental, Faculdade de Medicina, USP (FM-USP