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Main elements involved in the startup scalability process: a study on Brazilian agtechs

Purpose – The study aimsto analyze the main elements associated with the evolution of Brazilian agtechsfrom the initial conception of the business model to becoming companies in the scale-up stage.Design/methodology/approach –The exploratory research was conducted based on data collected throughin-depth interviews. The answers were analyzed quantitatively using descending hierarchical classification(DHC) and correspondence factor analysis (CFA) and qualitatively using content analysis.Findings – Five main elements were identified as responsible for the evolution of the companies up to theirentering the scale-up phase: (1) governance, (2) decisions inherent to resource allocation, (3) monitoring ofstrategic, tactical and operational activities, (4) fostering human capital development and (5) business modelvalidation. Each element presents a set of performance indicators that show the scalability of thesecompanies.Practical implications – The model developed can help companies that have not yet advanced from theconception of the business model to the scalability of different sectors, in addition to agribusiness.Social implications – Proposal of a model that presents the main elements that impact on scalability andrespective indicators that contributed to the scalability process of Brazilian agtechs.Originality/value –This study contributed to advancing the knowledge on the organizational life cycle (OLC)of agricultural startups, particularly regarding the factors responsible for their scalability

Solution of the Dynamic Interaction Problem between a Framed Structure and an Acoustic Cavity Using Imposed Deformation Functions at the Interface

This article presents an analytical procedure for solution of the dynamic interaction problem of a vibrating framed structure connected to a bidimensional cavity, containing an acoustic fluid. Initially the pressure solution for the fluid domain is developed, using the separation of variables technique. In a next step, this solution is applied to an entirely open cavity and to a closed cavity in the transversal direction, both containing a vibrating boundary with an arbitrary deformation. The generalized parameters of the structure (mass, rigidity, and force) are obtained by means of the virtual work principle, with the generalized force represented by the dynamic pressures acting on the interface. The dynamic equilibrium equation of the system is established for an imposed deformation, making a parametric study of the involved variables possible. Finally, it is demonstrated that this procedure can be generalized, allowing the construction of practical abacuses for other boundary conditions of both the structure and the cavity, and that these results allow a reasonable interpretation of the coupling regions, including the prediction of added mass and added stiffness effects, as well as corresponding frequencies and mode shapes of the coupled problem

Estudo comparativo entre técnicas de controle lineares e não-lineares implementadas em FPGA aplicadas a um inversor de tensão NPC três níveis monofásicos

This work presents a comparative study, design and implementation of linear and nonlinear control techniques applied on power electronics converters. The main objective of this study is to control the output voltage and the voltage balance between the DC bus voltage capacitors balance of a three level NPC inverter. The control techniques used are the classic PID, the ANLPID-GGF, LQR and SDRE. The Non-Linear PID – Gaussian Gain Functions is considered a new nonlinear control technique used for optimization of the classic linear PID control. Taken the converter transfer function, the designs of the four controllers are set so the operating point of the closed loop system presents the same natural frequency. Thus, the comparative analysis of the performance of each control can be performed more precisely. The pole placement technique is used to design the LQR and SDRE controllers. By means of a comparative analysis of the controllers, it a parallel combination of the designed controllers is also proposed, yielding a weighted adaptive control system. The weighted adaptive controller improves the system performance, both in response time and in controlled magnitudes overshoots reduction. The four control techniques and the strategy an adaptive control proposed are implemented on FPGA, using the DSP Builder tool for the development and compilation the VHDL code. Simulation results are presented in order to validate the proposed theoretical development.Este trabalho apresenta um estudo comparativo, o projeto e a implementação de técnicas de controle lineares e não-lineares aplicadas em conversores estáticos de energia elétrica. O principal objetivo deste estudo é controlar, tanto a tensão de saída como o equilíbrio das tensões dos capacitores do barramento CC (Corrente Contínua) de um inversor NPC (Neutral Point Campled) três níveis monofásico. As técnicas de controle utilizadas são o PID (Proporcional-Integral-Derivativo), o ANLPID-GGF (Adaptive Non Linear PID – Gaussian Like Gain Functions), o LQR (Linear Quadratic Regulator) e o SDRE (State Dependent Riccati Equation). O ANLPID-GGF é uma proposta de otimização do controlador PID convencional utilizando funções de ganhos variáveis. Todos os controladores são projetados para manter os mesmos pólos dominantes (autovalores) do sistema em malha fechada de acordo com o modelo do conversor. Desta forma é possível realizar uma comparação mais coerente entre as quatro técnicas de controles estudadas. Com a determinação dos pólos dominantes do sistema é realizado o projeto dos controladores LQR e SDRE por alocação de pólos. Com o projeto por alocação de pólos pode-se evitar os sobre sinais comuns nas aplicações que utilizam controladores LQR e SDRE. Através da análise comparativa entre os quatro controladores, pode-se identificar as características distintas de cada método. Desta forma, também é proposta uma implementação paralela de controladores onde é feita uma associação ponderada entre as leis de controle, dando origem a uma estratégia de controle adaptativo ponderado que melhora o desempenho do sistema, tanto em tempo de resposta quanto na redução dos overshoots. As quatro técnicas de controle utilizadas e a estratégia proposta do controle adaptativo são implementadas em FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array), utilizando a ferramenta DSP Builder para desenvolvimento e compilação do código HDL (Linguagem de Descrição de Hardware). Resultados de simulações e experimentais são apresentados com o objetivo de validar o desenvolvimento teórico proposto

A PROTEÇÃO DO TRABALHADOR MARÍTIMO FRENTE AO USO DOS REGISTROS DE BANDEIRAS DE CONVENIÊNCIA

O presente trabalho busca discorrer sobre como a indústria shipping se utiliza de Registros Abertos na forma das Bandeiras de Conveniência procurando eximir-se de práticas protetivas para com o trabalhador marítimo e também contornar a fiscalização de Estados e Organizações Internacionais diminuindo assim, seus custos operacionais. Busca-se assimilar o que vem a ser um trabalhador marítimo bem como explicar, de forma resumida, o funcionamento dos Registros de navios e a evolução das BdC no comércio marítimo mundial. Ao aprofundar tais temas, o artigo sucintamente explana como o uso de tal registro é danoso à evolução da proteção do trabalhador mundial

Elia Suleiman e as crônicas contra a desaparição // ELIA SULEIMAN AND THE CHRONICLES AGAINST DISAPPEARANCE

O presente artigo busca abordar os filmes do cineasta palestino Elia Suleiman a partir da moldura teórica do cinema mundial contemporâneo (especialmente no que diz respeito às tentativas de delimitar os contornos de suas vertentes mais periféricas) e da articulação entre a sua estética e os contextos políticos e sociais que eles refletem. Uma das nossas hipóteses iniciais é que a política encampada por Suleiman escapa às categorizações usuais do cinema político através da ironia, do nonsense e do burlesco face ao horror do contexto palestino. Tais elementos reconfiguram a própria noção de política no cinema: Suleiman opta pela singularidade, pelo absurdo e pelo inusitado que emergem do real, que brotam desse árido cotidiano sem esperança dos territórios ocupados e que dão forma à complexidade da situação - tanto que essa forma se revela necessariamente híbrida, ambígua e desconcertante. Suleiman, tanto pela centralidade de sua obra na filmografia palestina, como pelo seu papel de vanguarda no cinema mundial, oferece-nos uma possibilidade de compreensão do cinema como um espaço de enunciação de resistência, como alternativa visual e encarnação visível da existência palestina. Através do comentário sobre seus principais filmes – particularmente sobre o seu segundo longa-metragem, Intervenção Divina (2002) – nosso principal objetivo é investigar as correspondências e as rupturas entre estética fílmica e fatos políticos. Elia Suleiman and the chronicles against disappearance ABSTRACT The present essay addresses the Palestinian Elia Suleiman’s films from the theoretical framework of contemporary World Cinema studies (especially when they are concerned with the contours of its more peripheral aspects) and the articulation of their aesthetics and the political and social contexts that hey reflect. One of our initial hypotheses is that the politics championed by Suleiman escapes the usual categorizations of political cinema via irony, nonsense and a burlesque tone in the face of the horror of the Palestinian reality. Such elements reconfigure the very notion of politics in film: Suleiman opts for singularity, the absurd and the unusual that emerge from reality, that sprout from the arid and hopeless every day of the occupied territories and that give form to the complexity of the situation - so that this form necessarily reveals itself to be hybrid, ambiguous, disconcerting. Suleiman, because both of the centrality of his work in Palestinian filmography and his role as an avant-garde in World Cinema, offers us a possibility of understanding cinema as a space of enunciation of resistance, as a visual alternative and visible embodiment of Palestinian existence. Reviewing his main films – particularly his second feature film, Divine Intervention (2002) – our main goal is to investigate the correspondences and ruptures between filmic aesthetics and political facts. KEYWORDS: peripheral cinema; political cinema; Palestinian fimograph

International Taxation, the BRICS, and the Brazilian Experience: Tracing Patterns and Drawing Comparisons on Taxation of Business Profits

The specialized literature identifies a number of factors that influence economic growth, usually centring its attention either on geography, on the integration between rich and poor countries when it comes to international trade, or on institutions. The institutional factor assumes a particular relevance when developing and developed countries face the challenges of taxing income from international transactions. In this context, the question about which jurisdiction would have the taxing right on such an income is the main friction point; then the question on the mechanisms to allocate profits to different taxpayers in different jurisdictions comes into play. In light of this, the thesis addresses the following research question: to what extent can the experience of the BRICS countries in the taxation of business profits provide a different framework for developing countries? It does so by applying a comparative methodology through a functional analysis of the legal systems of Brazil, India, and South Africa. Three research objectives, or sub-questions, guide this research endeavour: (i) to investigate the level of influence of the OECD MC on the compared countries’ tax treaty networks with regards to taxation of business profits (and, as a result, the level of deviation from the OECD MC towards the UN MC); (ii) to analyse whether and to what extent the adoption by developing countries of a transfer pricing regulation that does not entirely mirror the OECD’s one would be convenient for those jurisdictions; and (iii) to consider the building up of an alternative transfer pricing framework derived from the thesis’s findings. The thesis is divided into five substantive chapters. It evolves from a general assessment of the income tax legislation and the tax treaty networks of the compared countries (Chapter 2) to a critical analysis of the provisions dealing with business taxation (Chapters 3 to 5) to, finally, presenting a transfer pricing proposal that could be more beneficial for developing countries (Chapter 6). The chapters dedicated to the analysis of the domestic law and of specific treaty articles (Articles 5 on the permanent establishment concept, Article 7 on attribution of profits to permanent establishments, and Article 9 on taxation of associated enterprises) are structured in a similar way, so that they offer a consistent and coherent comparative framework for the thesis purposes. The research findings show that, while those countries do not adopt a coordinated treaty policy, they deviate from the OECD MC in respect to various provisions, to different degrees

Effects of soil-structure interaction in seismic analysis of buildings with multiple pressurized tuned liquid column dampers

In this paper soil-structure interaction (SSI) effects are investigated while an array of Pressurized Tuned Liquid Column Dampers (PTLCD) is employed for seismic vibration control of buildings. This device represents the most general case of a passive damper, with different reduction options to other control devices obtained by simplifying the involved parameters. Soil conditions considerably affect the control device functioning, because dynamic parameters such as natural frequency, damping factor, and natural modes depend on the soil properties. A simplified mathematical model is developed for the building with multiple degrees of freedom connected to a flexible base. For the time-domain analysis, a computational routine is developed for the linearization of the equilibrium equations of the PTLCD, as well as details for the reduction to the other types of passive dampers. Several numerical examples are selected for the analysis of the damper efficiency in reducing seismic vibration considering SSI. These simulations include Kobe earthquake data, which is applied to the model to evaluate the device performance under different scenarios. It is verified the influence of SSI in the natural frequency and structural response, which is related to the earthquake frequency components. Results confirm that the array of PTLCD’s can reduce the vibration amplitudes, being more effective for soils with higher stiffness values

Reverse supply sustainability: a case study of the Plasma Project

Neste artigo, discute-se a sustentabilidade corporativa no escopo da cadeia reversa de suprimentos, com base no estudo de caso do Projeto Plasma, que integrou a cadeia de suprimentos de três empresas para realizar a reciclagem de embalagens cartonadas longa-vida. Faz-se uma breve revisão da bibliografia, caracterizando três dimensões da sustentabilidade e duas iniciativas relevantes para o desenvolvimento de projetos de sustentabilidade corporativa. O caso do Projeto Plasma é descrito com base nesses cinco aspectos que, ao final do texto, remetem para quatro fatores críticos de sucesso do Projeto. São considerados fatores críticos a inovação tecnológica, a viabilidade econômica, as ações integradas na cadeia de suprimentos e a motivação para a sustentabilidade corporativa.En este artículo se analiza la sostenibilidad corporativa en la cadena inversa de suministro, con base en el estudio de caso del Proyecto Plasma. El proyecto integró la cadena de suministro de tres empresas para realizar el reciclado de envases larga vida. Por medio de una breve revisión de la bibliografía, se caracterizan tres dimensiones de la sostenibilidad y dos iniciativas relevantes para el desarrollo de proyectos de sostenibilidad corporativa. Se describe el caso del Proyecto Plasma con base en estos cinco aspectos que, al final del texto, remiten a cuatro factores críticos de éxito del proyecto. Están considerados como factores críticos la innovación tecnológica, la viabilidad económica, las acciones integradas en la cadena de suministro y la motivación para la sostenibilidad corporativa.This article discusses corporate sustainability where the reverse supply chain is concerned, based on a case study of the Plasma Project. The project integrated the supply chain of three companies in order to make it possible to recycle aseptic packaging cartons. The text provides a brief overview of the bibliography, characterizing three dimensions of sustainability and two relevant initiatives for the development of corporate sustainability projects. The Project Plasma case is described on the basis of these five elements, which, at the end of the text, lead to four critical success factors for the project. The factors seen as critical are technological innovation, financial viability, integration of supply chain actions and the drive to achieve corporate sustainability

Gestão da informação de produtos: base para os relacionamentos na cadeia de suprimentos

This article approaches product information management as one of the critical elements for the development of relationships in the supply chain, especially those connected with e-business, collaborative processes and supply chain monitoring. Product information management is a very recent theme and only a few companies currently have systems of this nature. Corporate focus on the return on investment in information technology and the development of integrated support resources among suppliers of corporate solutions are increasingly drawing attention to the theme. Given this context, this article adopts a conceptual approach methodology based on a revision of the literature and authors' proposals. The article discusses how companies can effectively develop their product information management competencies and suggests models pertinent to e-business, collaborative processes and supply chain monitoring.Este artículo aborda la gestión de la información de productos como uno de los elementos críticos para el desarrollo de las relaciones en la cadena de suministros, en particular aquellos asociados a los negocios electrónicos, a los procesos de colaboración y al monitoreo en la cadena. La gestión de la información de productos constituye un tema muy reciente y actualmente solo unas pocas empresas poseen sistemas de esta naturaleza. El foco en el retorno de las inversiones en tecnología de la información -por parte de las empresas- y en el desarrollo de recursos de soporte integrados -por parte de los proveedores de soluciones corporativas- está aumentando la atención dedicada al tema. En función de este contexto el artículo adopta una abordaje conceptual con base en revisión de literatura e propuestas de los autores. El articulo discute cómo las empresas pueden desarrollar efectivamente sus competencias en gestión de la información de productos e sugiere modelos pertinentes a negocios electrónicos, procesos de colaboración e monitoreo en la cadena de suministros.Este artigo aborda a gestão da informação de produtos como um dos elementos críticos ao desenvolvimento dos relacionamentos na cadeia de suprimentos, em particular aqueles associados aos negócios eletrônicos, aos processos colaborativos e ao monitoramento na cadeia. A gestão da informação de produtos constitui tema muito recente e atualmente apenas poucas empresas possuem sistemas dessa natureza. O foco no retorno dos investimentos em tecnologia de informação, por parte das empresas, e o desenvolvimento de recursos de suporte integrados, por parte de provedores de soluções corporativas estão aumentando a atenção para o tema. Em função desse contexto o artigo adota uma metodologia de abordagem conceitual baseada em revisão da literatura e propostas dos autores. O artigo discute como as empresas podem, de maneira efetiva, desenvolver as suas competências em gestão da informação de produtos e sugere modelos pertinentes a negócios eletrônicos, a processos colaborativos e ao monitoramento na cadeia de suprimentos