Irreversible processes and the accelerated-decelerated phases of the Universe

A model for the Universe is proposed where it is considered as a mixture of scalar and matter fields. The particle production is due to an irreversible transfer of energy from the gravitational field to the matter field and represented by a non-equilibrium pressure. This model can simulate three distinct periods of the Universe: (a) an accelerated epoch where the energy density of the scalar field prevails over the matter field, (b) a past decelerated period where the energy density of the matter field becomes more predominant than the scalar energy density, and (c) a present acceleration phase where the scalar energy density overcomes the energy density of the matter field.Comment: 6 pages, 2 figures, to be published in Brazilian Journal of Physic

The critical success factors of GDPR implementation - a systematic literature review

Purpose: The digital paradigm people live in today, which drastically increased the consumption of data, is a threat to their privacy. To create a high level of privacy protection for its citizens, the European Union proposed the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), which introduces obligations for organizations regarding the storing, processing, collecting and disclosing of data. This paper aims to identify the critical success factors of GDPR implementation. Design/methodology/approach: A systematic literature review was conducted by following a strict review protocol, where 32 documents were found relevant to perform the review and to answer to the proposed research questions. Findings: The critical success factors of GDPR implementation were identified, including barriers and enablers. Furthermore, benefits of complying with GDPR were identified. Research limitations/implications: As GDPR is a relatively recent subject, there are still few scientific papers about it. Therefore, the authors were unable to neither identify nor present a robust conclusion regarding specific topics, such as practical outcomes. Originality/value: On the basis of the literature, the identified critical success factors may be useful for organizations as these can be better prepared to achieve compliance by prioritizing the enablers and avoiding the barriers.info:eu-repo/semantics/acceptedVersio

Warm and Dry Spells (WDS) in Austral Winter over Central South America

The horizontal and vertical structure of unusually warm and dry spells (WDS) over the central parts of South America during the winter and post-winter months (JJAS) are studied. During WDS the mean temperature and humidity anomalies over central Brazil are about +4.1°C and −13.2%, respectively. The mean duration of WDS is 11 days and their mean frequency is less than one per year during the months of JJAS. Apparently, WDS have no preference for the phase of ENSO. Widespread and persistent subsidence in the middle troposphere is observed in tropical Brazil during WDS, which renders the lower tropospheric air warm and dry. The negative anomalies of the specific humidity are observed to be associated with the subsidence regions. A strong, slow moving ridge in the eastern South Pacific and a low-pressure center in northern Argentina are important surface characteristics during the WDS. A more detailed investigation of two specific WDS events, a strong event (August–September 1999) and a moderate one (June 2002), shows a blocking-like situation in the 500-hPa geopotential and surface pressure fields in the Pacific. The South Atlantic subtropical high somewhat approaches the continent. Strong northerlies over the central and eastern parts of Brazil are also observed in the lower troposphere. During WDS the regional circulation acquires summertime characteristics, except for the absence of precipitation, and the circulation in the meridional plane is in the opposite sense from the Hadley circulation. A frontal system, supported by a 500-hPa trough, advances into central Brazil, causing the dissipation of the anomalous situation

Biotechnological advances in Vitex species, and future perspectives

AbstractVitex is a large genus consisting of 230 species of trees and shrubs with multiple (ornamental, ethnobotanic and pharmacological) uses. Despite this, micropropagation has only been used to effectively propagate and preserve germplasm a limited number (six) of Vitex species (V. agnus-castus, V. doniana, V. glabrata, V. negundo, V. rotundifolia, V. trifolia). This review on Vitex provides details of published micropropagation protocols and perspectives on their application to germplasm preservation and in vitro conservation. Such details serve as a practically useful user manual for Vitex researchers. The importance of micropropagation and its application to synthetic seed production, in vitro flowering, production of secondary metabolites, and the use of molecular markers to detect somaclonal variation in vitro, are also highlighted

Individual actors and embeddedness in business-to-business interactions

Individual actors are hardly ever considered in business-to-business marketing literature. This paper uses Service-dominant Logic and Neo-institutional Theory as the bases for twelve case studies. These case studies provide a better understanding of how individuals who represent firms make sense of the social rules, norms, procedures, values, and beliefs of the network (i.e. institutional logics) where they are embedded and how the business interaction is shaped by those influences, through the individual behaviour. This paper makes two main contributions. First, we develop an empirical model of how individuals consider the institutional logics of the network in interactions with suppliers. Second, we present three patterns of individual behavior in interactions, different from what is often assumed by business-to-business researchers. Managerial contributions are also pointed out.info:eu-repo/semantics/acceptedVersio

Eating Habits During Pregnancy of Women Giving Birth Very Prematurely: An Exploratory Analysis

Introduction: Preterm birth is increasing worldwide, representing a major cause of death and long-term loss of human potential among survivors. Some morbidities during pregnancy are well-known risk factors for preterm labor, but it is not yet known whether deviations from adequate dietary patterns are associated with preterm delivery. Diet may be an important modulator of chronic inflammation, and pro-inflammatory diets during pregnancy were reported to be associated with preterm birth. The aim of this study was to assess the food consumption during pregnancy of Portuguese women giving birth very prematurely and the association between the food consumption and the major maternal morbidities during pregnancy related with preterm delivery. Material and Methods: A single-center cross-sectional observational study including consecutive Portuguese women giving birth before 33 weeks of gestation was conducted. Recall of eating habits during pregnancy was obtained within the first week after delivery, using a semi quantitative food frequency questionnaire validated for Portuguese pregnant women. Results: Sixty women with a median age of 36.0 years were included. Of these, 35% were obese or overweight at the beginning of pregnancy, 41.7% and 25.0% gained excessive or insufficient weight during pregnancy, respectively. Pregnancy-induced hypertension was present in 21.7% of cases, gestational diabetes in 18.3%, chronic hypertension in 6.7%, and type 2 diabetes mellitus in 5.0%. Pregnancy-induced hypertension was significantly associated with increased daily consumption of pastry products (31.2 vs 10.0 g, p=0.022), fast food (39.6 vs 29.7 g, p=0.028), bread (90.0 vs 50.0 g, p=0.005), pasta, rice and potatoes (225.7 vs 154.3 g, p=0.012). In a multivariate analysis, only bread consumption maintained a significant, albeit weak, association (OR=1.021; 1.003 - 1.038, p=0.022). Conclusion: Pregnancy-induced hypertension was associated with increased consumption of pastry products, fast food, bread, pasta, rice, and potatoes, although only bread consumption had a weak but statistically significant association with pregnancy-induced hypertension in a multivariate analysis

A maturity model for DevOps

Nowadays, businesses aim to respond to customer needs at unprecedented speed. Thus, many companies are rushing to the DevOps movement. DevOps is the combination of Development and Operations and a new way of thinking in the software engineering domain. However, no common understanding of what it means has yet been achieved. Also, no adoption models or fine-grained maturity models to assist DevOps maturation and implementation were identified. Therefore, this research attempt to fill these gaps. A systematic literature review is performed to identify the determining factors contributing to the implementation of DevOps, including the main capabilities and areas with which it evolves. Then, two sets of interviews with DevOps experts were performed and their experience used to build the DevOps Maturity Model. The DevOps maturity model was then developed grounded on scientific and professional viewpoints. Once developed the Maturity Model was demonstrated in a real organisation.info:eu-repo/semantics/acceptedVersio

Hábitos Alimentares Durante a Gravidez em Mulheres com Parto Muito Pré-Termo: Uma Análise Exploradora

Introduction: Preterm birth is increasing worldwide, representing a major cause of death and long-term loss of human potential among survivors. Some morbidities during pregnancy are well-known risk factors for preterm labor, but it is not yet known whether deviations from adequate dietary patterns are associated with preterm delivery. Diet may be an important modulator of chronic inflammation, and pro-inflammatory diets during pregnancy were reported to be associated with preterm birth. The aim of this study was to assess the food consumption during pregnancy of Portuguese women giving birth very prematurely and the association between the food consumption and the major maternal morbidities during pregnancy related with preterm delivery. Material and methods: A single-center cross-sectional observational study including consecutive Portuguese women giving birth before 33 weeks of gestation was conducted. Recall of eating habits during pregnancy was obtained within the first week after delivery, using a semi quantitative food frequency questionnaire validated for Portuguese pregnant women. Results: Sixty women with a median age of 36.0 years were included. Of these, 35% were obese or overweight at the beginning of pregnancy, 41.7% and 25.0% gained excessive or insufficient weight during pregnancy, respectively. Pregnancy-induced hypertension was present in 21.7% of cases, gestational diabetes in 18.3%, chronic hypertension in 6.7%, and type 2 diabetes mellitus in 5.0%. Pregnancy-induced hypertension was significantly associated with increased daily consumption of pastry products (31.2 vs 10.0 g, p = 0.022), fast food (39.6 vs 29.7 g, p = 0.028), bread (90.0 vs 50.0 g, p = 0.005), pasta, rice and potatoes (225.7 vs 154.3 g, p = 0.012). In a multivariate analysis, only bread consumption maintained a significant, albeit weak, association (OR = 1.021; 1.003 - 1.038, p = 0.022). Conclusion: Pregnancy-induced hypertension was associated with increased consumption of pastry products, fast food, bread, pasta, rice, and potatoes, although only bread consumption had a weak but statistically significant association with pregnancy-induced hypertension in a multivariate analysis.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Modified poly(heptazine imides) : minimizing H₂O₂ decomposition to maximize oxygen reduction

Photocatalysis provides a sustainable pathway to produce the consumer chemical H2O2 from atmospheric O2 via an oxygen reduction reaction (ORR). Such an alternative is attractive to replace the cumbersome traditional anthraquinone method for H2O2 synthesis on a large scale. Carbon nitrides have shown very interesting results as heterogeneous photocatalysts in ORR because their covalent two-dimensional (2D) structure is believed to increase selectivity toward the two-electron process. However, an efficient and scalable application of carbon nitrides for this reaction is far from being achieved. Poly(heptazine imides) (PHIs) are a more powerful subgroup of carbon nitrides whose structure provides high crystallinity and a scaffold to host transition-metal single atoms. Herein, we show that PHIs functionalized with sodium and the recently reported fully protonated PHI exhibit high activity in two-electron ORR under visible light. The latter converted O2 to up to 1556 mmol L–1 h–1 g–1 H2O2 under 410 nm irradiation using inexpensive but otherwise chemically demanding glycerin as a sacrificial electron donor. We also prove that functionalization with transition metals is not beneficial for H2O2 synthesis, as the metal also catalyzes its decomposition. Transient photoluminescence spectroscopy suggests that H-PHIs exhibit higher activity due to their longer excited-state lifetime. Overall, this work highlights the high photocatalytic activity of the rarely examined fully protonated PHI and represents a step forward in the application of inexpensive covalent materials for photocatalytic H2O2 synthesis