Borderless companies : the role of entrepreneurs and network relationships in the development of global value systems

Mestrado em Gestão e Estratégia IndustrialOs estudos recentemente desenvolvidos em empreendedorismo internacional têm evidenciado uma necessidade de novas teorias capazes de explicar como determinadas borderless firms criam e desenvolvem riqueza através de uma configuração transfronteiriça de atividades na sua cadeia de valor. Com o intuito de ajudar a suprimir esta necessidade, este estudo pretende compreender como estas empresas são criadas e geridas, assim como analisar a influência da equipa fundadora e dos relacionamentos em rede para o desenvolvimento de abordagens sem fronteiras. A presente investigação foi desenvolvida tendo por base uma metodologia qualitativa, com três estudos de caso de empresas portuguesas que, numa primeira análise, aparentam encaixar-se na classificação de borderless. A evidência empírica demonstrou que as borderless firms são principalmente resultado de processos de efetivação alavancados nos princípios de affordable loss, estratégias não-preditivas e numa abertura para estabelecer parcerias. As capacidades da equipa empreendedora, a experiência internacional, ambição e visão de negócios foram identificados como sendo fatores-chave que conduzem a configurações transfronteiriças. Por último, os relacionamentos em rede demonstraram ser elementos cruciais para a escolha do primeiro país onde as atividades da cadeia de valor foram desenvolvidas, sendo ativamente procurados como forma de reduzir o risco de entrada e alavancar recursos limitados.Recent studies on international entrepreneurship have highlighted an overall need of new theories capable of explaining how certain borderless firms are able to create and develop value through a cross-border configuration of value system activities. To address this state of affairs, this study set out to understand how these companies are formed and managed, as well as how the entrepreneurial team and network relationships influence the development of borderless approaches. This work is carried out using a qualitative method, with three case studies developed on Portuguese companies that seemingly fit the borderless classification. The empirical evidence highlighted that borderless firms are mainly the result of effectuation processes leveraged on principles of affordable loss, non-predictive strategies and an openness to establish partnerships. The entrepreneurial team?s capabilities, international experience, ambition and business vision were found to be key factors leading to borderless configurations. Lastly, network relationships proved crucial elements in the choice of the first country where value chain activities were developed and were shown to be actively procured to reduce entry risk and leverage limited resources.N/

Metodologia para o Estudo de Fármacos Vegetais

O mecanismo de actuação, a toxicidade e os efeitos clínicos permanecem desconhecidos para a maioria dos fármacos vegetais, assentando o seu uso no conhecimento tradicional. É porém frequente encontrar plantas tóxicas que, quando ingeridas inapropriadamente e sem acompanhamento técnico, podem ser letais. A identificação micromorfológica é útil na inventariação da diversidade e no reconhecimento de caracteres diferenciadores de fármacos vegetais. O recurso a metodologias no âmbito da biologia molecular é uma mais-valia em relação ao complexo, moroso e dispendioso estudo fitoquímico. Usando quantidades de material muito pequenas, elas constituem também um avanço na certificação da qualidade, segurança e reprodutibilidade da composição de fármacos. Como exemplo da sua aplicação, apresentamos um estudo realizado com plantas endémicas de Cabo Verde, usadas na medicina tradicional, Tornabenea insularis e T. annua. Estas espécies apresentam problemas taxonómicos, o que também levanta questões na sua correcta utilização. Através da combinação dos microcaracteres foliares e dos frutos bem como da extracção de DNA e amplificação por PCR da região ITS e do gene 26S rDNA, os nossos resultados não permitem a separação dos dois taxa, não confirmando assim a actual classificação

Estudo sobre o uso de módulos na criação de cenários para jogos digitais

TCC (graduação) - Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina. Centro de Comunicação e Expressão. AnimaçãoDurante o desenvolvimento deste projeto buscou-se inicialmente uma compreensão sobre conceitos estabelecidos a respeito de game design, mais especificamente os referentes a level design envolvendo técnicas e práticas aplicadas no processo de criação de níveis para jogos digitais e animações. A partir deste entendimento foi possível elaborar uma conexão entre estes aspectos e a ideia de construção de blocos modulares, pois os profissionais que trabalham no desenvolvimento de níveis precisam das “ferramentas” para tornar seu trabalho mais eficaz e a construção através de módulos serve exatamente como tal, revelando assim um meio de aceleração do processo de concepção de grandes cenas, além de otimizar requisitos de processamento e vídeo para estes cenários. Com este conhecimento, traçou-se o cerne deste projeto: a modelagem de um pacote modular utilizando o software Autodesk 3DS Max, contendo uma gama de assets que viabilizem a produção de diferentes tipos de cenários, aplicar este conteúdo no software Unreal Engine 4, para então ser criado um level que siga os conceitos estudados e sirva como demonstração da aplicabilidade desta prática. Como produtos finais deste trabalho seriam apresentados, além de um nível jogável, uma animação cinemática (neste mesmo nível) apontando os principais pontos abordados.During the development of this project the initial objective was to understand established concepts about game design, more specifically those that focus on level design, like techniques and good practices that are applied to the process of level creation for digital games and animations. After acquiring knowledge about those topics it was possible to create a connection between those aspects and the idea of modular kits. Professionals that work in the industry require tools to make their work more efficient and the process of creating levels using this technique of modular blocks is exactly that, a way to speed up the time necessary to create huge scenes and optimize the graphics requirements. With those ideas in mind, it was possible to set the focus of this project: the concepting and modeling of a modular kit using the software Autodesk 3DS Max, this package should contain a big pool of assets in order to enable the creation of different types of levels. This content would be exported to the Unreal Engine 4. After these steps have been completed the kit would be applied in a complete level, this one being a demonstration scene that showcases the most important topics addressed in this project. The final product would be a playable level and a short animation that travels through it

Study, design, development and construction of a linear tribometer for testing human skin

The study of the tribological properties of the skin is a very important research field for medical investigation, development of dermatological products and the analysis of the interactions between textile products and the skin. To obtain these properties it is necessary to perform tests using tribological equipments which can simulate the conditions to obtain reliable values that will allow the measurement of skin wrinkling. The skin aggressions are usually analyzed using special equipments, known as tribometers, that enable the performance of the tribological characterization of a pair of materials, in order to obtain parameters such as friction coefficient and wear; for this purpose, the control of test variables, such as normal applied load, displacement speed, environmental conditions and other relevant circumstances which influence the interaction of surfaces in contact is required. The most important objective is the evaluation of a concept commonly known as touch, difficult to define and measure (which is related to the quantification of the level of comfort provided by the contact with the skin), with the requirement of studying soft materials, namely the skin. For that purpose it became necessary to design and manufacture a tribological equipment capable of responding to the demands of the required tests.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

User modeling In adaptive hypermedia educational systems

This document is a survey in the research area of User Modeling (UM) for the specific field of Adaptive Learning. The aims of this document are: To define what it is a User Model; To present existing and well known User Models; To analyze the existent standards related with UM; To compare existing systems. In the scientific area of User Modeling (UM), numerous research and developed systems already seem to promise good results, but some experimentation and implementation are still necessary to conclude about the utility of the UM. That is, the experimentation and implementation of these systems are still very scarce to determine the utility of some of the referred applications. At present, the Student Modeling research goes in the direction to make possible reuse a student model in different systems. The standards are more and more relevant for this effect, allowing systems communicate and to share data, components and structures, at syntax and semantic level, even if most of them still only allow syntax integration

Estudo, conceção, desenvolvimento e construção de um tribómetro linear para testes na pela humana

O estudo das propriedades tribológicas da pele é importante para a investigação médica, como para produtos dermatológicos, bem como análises de interações entre produtos têxteis com a pele. Para obter tais propriedades são realizados ensaios em equipamentos tribológicos, que recriam essas interações para adquirirem valores fidedignos, podendo estes serem estudados e avaliados a nível de desgaste e o próprio o enrugamento da pele. A pele humana é exposta diariamente a agressões de carácter mecânico, químico e microbiológico. Estas agressões podem alterar propriedades da pele, causando ao utente diversos desconfortos como irritações, desgaste, queimaduras, entre outros. Estas agressões são analisadas por tribómetros, sendo possível fazer a caraterização tribológica de pares de materiais, permitindo obter parâmetros como coeficientes de atrito e desgaste, para isso, a necessidade de controlar variáveis de ensaio como carga normal aplicada, velocidade de deslocamento relativo, condições ambientais e outras relevantes que influenciam a interação das superfícies em contacto. No presente trabalho é apresentado o projeto, o desenvolvimento e a construção de um tribómetro capaz de controlar as variáveis anteriormente referidas podendo assim obter o coeficiente de atrito da interação da pele com tecidos têxteis com ou sem a aplicação de diferentes cremes podendo assim estudar o seu comportamento.The study of the tribological properties of the skin is a research field very important for the medical investigation, dermatological products and the analysis about the interactions of textile products with skin. To obtain these properties it is necessary to performed tests in tribological equipments which can recreate conditions in order to obtain reliable values that will allow to measure the skin wrinkling. The skin aggressions are usually analyzed using special equipments, known as tribometers, that enable to perform tribological characterization of couple of materials, which allows to obtain parameters as friction coefficient and wear, for this, it is required the control of the test variables, such as, applied normal load, displacement speed, environmental conditions and other relevant circumstances which influence the interaction of surfaces in contact. The most important objective is the evaluation of a concept commonly known as touch, difficult to define and measure, which is related with the quantification of the level of comfort provided by the contact with the skin of the human body, comes the necessity of studying soft materials, namely the skin. For that purpose it became necessary, build a tribological equipment capable of responding to the demands of the required tests.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

The safety and persistence of intravenous iloprost in systemic sclerosis

© Sociedade Portuguesa de ReumatologiaIntroduction: Vasculopathy is a crucial feature of systemic sclerosis (SSc). It occurs in almost every patient with SSc, with Raynaud's phenomenon (RP) and digital ulcers (DU) having a great impact on the quality of patients' lives. Intravenous (IV) iloprost, a synthetic analogue of prostacyclin, is broadly used to treat RP and DU secondary to SSc. Currently, there is no standard protocol defined for the iloprost treatment of SSc-associated RP and DU, and, consequently, the management of this treatment is largely based on each centre's experience. Objective: The objective of this study is to evaluate the safety profile of a particular scheme of IV iloprost used in our centre as the standard treatment of SSc-related vascular complications. Methods: We retrospectively evaluated the clinical records of SSc patients, classified according to the 2013 European Alliance of Associations for Rheumatology (EULAR) criteria (31) with SSc-related DU and/or severe RP not responsive to CCB, receiving or who have received IV iloprost infusions from January 1st 2011 to March 31st 2021 Results: Within this time frame, 60 patients (n=44 for DU; n=16 for severe RP) were treated with a monthly 10-hour IV iloprost perfusion with a dosing regimen adapted to individual tolerance. Forty-nine of these 60 patients (81.7%) were on iloprost for more than one year. Within 12 months of therapy, 40 patients have healed the DUs (90.9%), with only 4 patients maintaining active DUs. A significant clinical improvement in RP at 12 months was observed in 87.5% (n=14/16) of SSc patients with severe RP. Eleven AE implying treatment dose/frequency adjustments or suspension were recorded (18.3% of patients): severe headache (n=5), hypotension (n=3), tachycardia (n=1), flushing (n=1) and generalised erythroderma (n=1). In all patients, the perfusion rate was reduced in the following treatment sessions with good tolerance, with the exception of the patient with the generalised erythroderma reaction, who suspended the perfusion and was later switched to bosentan. After a mean follow-up time of 6.9 (+/-) 4.0 years of treatment (range 0.06-22), 24 patients (40%) stopped the therapy, 14 (58.3%) of whom due to clinical improvement. The overall 5-, and 10-year survival rates of IV iloprost were 68.2% and 55.6%, respectively. Conclusion: SSc patients who received this flexible IV iloprost regimen achieved clinical improvement, reflected in the high persistence rate of the drug, with a good tolerability profile. In addition, most side effects were mild and easily managed.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Study, design and development of a new add-on function for the FRICTORQ® - Friction Test Instrument

The assessment of handle properties is of utmost importance in materials in our everyday life. There is a wide range of materials there are used in contact with the human skin, which may cause several unpleasant skin reactions. The FRICTORQ® is a laboratory equipment developed by the authors to measure the friction coefficient in fabrics, to enable a quantitative assessment of touch/handle, in order to predict the comfort behaviour of 2D/3D structures when used or touched by humans. In a further development, the FRICTORQ® was redesigned to accommodate a new testing kit function to determine the friction coefficient of fabrics in a liquid environment. This new design will be explained and the results obtained while testing different swimwear fabrics and hospital garments will be also presented and discussed

Ultrasound findings and prognosis of shoulder pain: a role for Doppler signal?

© 2023 The Authors. Journal of Clinical Ultrasound published by Wiley Periodicals LLC. This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs License, which permits use and distribution in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited, the use is non-commercial and no modifications or adaptations are made.Purpose: To find ultrasound prognostic factors for shoulder pain. Methods: This was an observational, prospective study, comparing the evolution of ultrasound findings with clinical outcomes, in patients with shoulder pain. Data were collected in two appointments, from February 2018 to March 2021. Two-tailed non-parametric statistics were used, and p values <0.05 were considered significant. Results: A total of 79 participants were included in this study (median age 59 years, range 24-70, 61 women). A positive Doppler signal on tendons (p = 0.002) and absent tendon heterogeneity (p = 0.01) were associated with the patient's self-reported improvement. Tendon calcifications with poorly defined contours (p = 0.03) and sparse distribution (p = 0.001) were associated with VAS improvement. A reduction in the number of calcifications (p = 0.004), in the supraspinatus tendon thickness (p = 0.01), in subacromial effusions (p = 0.03), and in color Doppler grade (p = 0.02), between initial and follow-up exams, was found in patients with an improved DASH outcome. Conclusion: A positive Doppler signal on shoulder tendons can be a marker for a better prognosis in shoulder pain. Poorly defined and sparsely distributed calcifications can also indicate a better course of the disease.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Electrochemical Characterization of an Optical Fiber Laser- Treated Biomaterial

The implant manufacturing process includes texturization to enhance its adhesion and marking the final products for their identification, long-term quality control and traceability. Marking is carried out after cleaning and prior to sterilization. These marks eventually can concentrate stress leading to premature failure. The marked areas are defective regions that affect the passive film formed on the metallic biomaterials used for implants favoring the onset of various corrosion types, such as pitting, crevice or fatigue. This study aims to evaluate the effect of a Yb optical fiber laser marking processes used for metallic implants on the localized corrosion resistance of the austenitic stainless steel ISO 5832-1. This is one of the most used materials for manufacturing implants. The electrochemical behavior of the marked areas obtained by this method was evaluated in a phosphate-buffered saline (PBS) solution with pH of 7.4 and the results were compared with unmarked samples. All tested surfaces were prepared according to the recommendations for the use in surgery. For localized corrosion resistance evaluation, electrochemical tests such as monitoring the open circuit potential (OCP), electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) and cyclic potentiodynamic polarization measurements were performed. The results showed that the laser marks affect the protector characteristics of the biomaterial’s passive film. Lower pitting resistance was associated to the laser marked areas