Bioethanol As Basis for Regional Development in Brazil: An Input-Output Model With Mixed Technologies

Many issues of strategic importance that have emerged in recent years are contributing to the formulation of national policies for promoting biofuels worldwide. In the developed countries, such initiatives result mainly from concerns on energy security and greenhouse gases emissions. Developing countries envisage biofuels as a potential means to improve access to energy, increase income and employment, alleviate poverty, spur rural development, reduce oil imports and enhance exports of biomass products. These interests converge as to render bioethanol trade a unique opportunity for sustainable development. Despite its simplicity and ease of use, the basic input-output (i-o) model does not allow the representation of technology-differentiated sectors producing the same good or service. For instance, in Brazil, sugarcane can be collected manually or via harvesting machines and alcohol can be produced in plants appended to a sugar mill or in autonomous distilleries. An i-o model with mixed technologies was constructed for the purposes of the study. A linear technology is used to represent the sugarcane and ethanol sectors, whereas the remaining industries are characterized by the usual Leontief production function. Activity levels for the linear-technology sectors are set by a scenario analysis, avoiding the use of much more complicated mathematical tools, such as a computable general equilibrium (cge) model. The construction of the database was done in two stages. Firstly, an i-o table containing 42 sector and 80 commodities was estimated for the base year of 2002. Secondly, the sugarcane and ethanol industries were disaggregated from the sectors they appear in IBGE economic tables, based on detailed engineering information obtained from experts and specialized publications. The extended input-output model with mixed technologies was used to analyze the socioeconomic impacts of a large-scale expansion of bioethanol production in Brazil so as to replace 5% of the estimated global demand for gasoline in 2025. The resulting direct, indirect and induced effects indicate that if ethanol production is augmented in nearly 800%, GDP would increase by a factor of 11.4%, equivalent to approximately the entire economy in the Northeast region of Brazil, and more than 5 million of jobs would be created.

Sobre o Hílemorfismo: corpo e alma como condição de possibilidade do viver

O presente trabalho visa demonstrar como a relação entre corpo e alma são indispensáveis para o viver. Para tanto, considera a tese de que o ser animado é uma substância composta de matéria e forma, que também pode ser analisada sob a perspectiva de potência e ato. Neste sentido, o trabalho inicia com a compreensão sobre o que é uma substância, qual tipo de substância é o ser vivo para, em seguida, mediante as definições de alma presentes no livro Β do De Anima, perceber como se dá a relação entre corpo e alma e porque tal relação é necessária ao viver

CAREER: Acoustic Wave Filters for High Frequency Wireless Communication Applications

Expanding commercial and military applications crowd the wireless communications frequency band, creating a critical need to expand the band to higher frequencies. The application of newly discovered high velocity pseudo surface acoustic waves (HVPSAWs), has the potential of satisfying the high frequency requirements of the next generation of wireless communications. This CAREER proposal involves an integrated research and education plan for high radio frequency (RF) microwave acoustic devices. The research objective is to identify piezoelectric materials and specific orientations in which HVPSAWs exist, and to design, fabricate, and test prototype HVPSAW filters. Specific research tasks are: (i) search for piezoelectric materials and orientations in which HVPSAWs exist; (ii) characterize theoretical mode propagation; (iii) determine HVPSAW phase velocity, propagation loss, temperature behavior, electromechanical coupling, and power flow angle; (iv) experimentally verify the theoretically predicted HVPSAW properties; develop a theoretical model for the HVPSAW interdigital transducer (IDT) structure, and its experimental verification; (v) model and characterize integral HVPSAW filters structures, such as reflectors, multistrip couplers, guiding structures; (vi) integrate HVPSAW structure components into HVPSAW filter design; and (vii) fabricate and test prototype HVPSAW filters. The educational objective is to provide a learning experience in a fast moving state-of-the-art area to students ranging from high school to graduate level. The learning experience will range from team projects at the high school level to theses at the graduate level. In summary this project will not only provide the necessary research to realize the next generation of wireless communications but also educate students in a very relevant high need technology area which has applications ranging from cellular phones to high speed communication and signal processing systems

Marketing plan for semear program - increasing the sustainability of semear´s social mission

This work project consisted of developing a Marketing Plan for SEMEAR, a program of a social organization with the mission to help the full integration of people with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities(IDD) in society. The group focused on the role of SEMEAR na Mercearia business unit to help improve SEMEAR’ s overall performance and, forth at purpose, conducted a strategic diagnosis and analyzed the market and consumers of artisanal products. Three strategic initiatives were suggested, each one with three tactics, presented as recommendations to SEMEAR, focusing on fighting seasonality and increasing the financial stability all year long (a key step to wards financial self-sustainability) and on increasing brand awareness with the ultimate goal of promoting the inclusion of disabled people in our society

Characterizing data scientists in the real world

Dissertação de mestrado integrado em Informatics EngineeringEvery day, data is being collected from all different types of sources. According to the company Domo, data is being collected from ad clicks, likes on social media, shares, transactions, streaming content, and so much more. Their study, which focused on the data generated on the most popular platforms in 2020, shows that, every minute of the day, users sent 12M instant messages, shared 65K photos on Instagram, and conducted 5.7M of searches on Google. Moreover, accordingly to Statista, by 2025, the volume of data created, captured, copied, and consumed worldwide will increase up to 180 zettabytes. This enormous amount of data in itself may not be relevant. The real value of data lies in the information it hides about individuals and the world. As a result, it is more crucial than ever for businesses of all sizes to focus on the data they collect from diverse sources and use the insights they gain to become more competitive in their fields of expertise. In this scenario, companies rely on recruiting professionals to join data science teams capable of gleaning insights and extracting value from data. Data science, as the name implies, can be seen as the science that studies data. It is a multidisciplinary field where professionals, commonly known as data scientists, transform data into insights and decisions. Several researchers have focused on data science, intending to explain it and demonstrate its value in several contexts. However, in this research study, we shifted the focus to those who practice data science. This work aims to take advantage of the information collected through interviews and a public survey to fully understand who is doing data science, how they work, what skills they hold and lack, and which tools they need. Based on the results, we argue that the academic past of data science professionals has little impact on the way they work and that the most difficult challenges they face are obtaining high-quality data and applying deep learning techniques. We also discovered evidence of a gender gap in data science, which the scientific community should address in order to make data science accessible to everyone.Todos os dias são recolhidos milhões dos dados das mais distintas fontes. O último estudo realizado pela empresa Domo sobre a quantidade de dados gerados nas principais plataformas online, mostrou que, a cada minuto de 2020, os utilizadores enviaram mais de 12 milhões de mensagens, partilharam cerca de 65 milhares de fotos no instagram, e fizeram mais de 5.7 milhões de pesquisas no Google. Para além disso, de acordo com um estudo realizado pela plataforma Statista, até 2025, o volume de dados criados, guardados e consumidos a nível global atingirá 180 zettabytes. Essa enorme quantidade de dados, por si só, pode não ser relevante. O valor real dos dados está nas informações que eles escondem sobre a sociedade e o mundo. Assim, é mais crucial do que nunca que as empresas de todos as indústrias se concentrem nos dados que coletam e usar o conhecimento que obtêm para se tornarem mais competitivas nas suas áreas de atuação. Perante este cenário, as empresas têm vindo a apostar cada vez mais no recrutamento de profissionais para integrarem equipas focadas em ciência de dados, capazes de utilizar dados para dar resposta a vários problemas que as afetam. Ciência de dados, como o nome indica, pode ser vista como a ciência que estuda dados. É uma área multidisciplinar onde os profissionais, comumente conhecidos como cientistas de dados, transformam dados em conhecimento que auxilia a tomada de decisões. Nos últimos anos, vários investigadores focaram-se no estudo da ciência de dados, com o objetivo de explicar e demonstrar o seu valor em diversos contextos. No entanto, neste trabalho, mudamos o foco para aqueles que praticam a ciência de dados. Assim, o objetivo deste estudo é aproveitar as informações recolhidas por meio de entrevistas e de um inquérito para melhor conhecer quem trabalha em ciência de dados. Com base nos resultados, argumentamos que o passado acadêmico dos profissionais de ciência de dados tem pouco impacto na forma como trabalham e que os maiores desafios que enfrentam são a obtenção de dados de qualidade e a aplicação de técnicas de deep learning. Também encontramos evidências de uma lacuna de gênero, sendo esta uma questão que deve ser abordada pela comunidade cientifica de forma a tornar a ciência de dados igualmente acessível a todos

Mergers and acquisitions outcomes: the role of R&D and intangible assets

Dissertação de mestrado em FinançasMergers and Acquisitions (M&As) have been used by companies as a mean to invest in R&D and Intangible Assets. The main purpose of this study is to analyse if differences between the target firm and the acquiring firm in terms of R&D and Intangible Assets could affect the outcome of M&As. Does this result in the creation or destruction of value for the target and acquirer shareholders? The sample comprises 2,760 deals from the United States of America and the Eurozone throughout 15 years – from 2005 to 2019. The stock price reaction to the announcement of an acquisition is measured by the cumulative abnormal returns (CARs). Concerning the intangible assets, I do not find evidence for the theory of adverse selection. The idea that the target firm is bought at a discount due to the possibility of information asymmetries is not confirmed in this study. About the R&D expenditures, the idea that the acquirer is buying a firm with relatively higher R&D expenditures to enter a tech environment and, therefore, gain with the deal is not confirmed in this study. I find evidence that the combined firms incur losses when the target has relatively higher R&D expenditures than the bidder. I also find that targets firms with relatively higher R&D expenditures than the bidder gain with the announcement of the deal. Some authors defend that the idea - that the acquirer is buying a target with relatively higher R&D expenditures to enter into a tech environment and, due to that, gain with the M&A - is especially significant in a tech environment where R&D capabilities are crucial for further expansion of companies, however, I do not find support for that in this analysis. Regarding the differences between deals made by the Eurozone firms and the USA firms, I do not find results that show differences between the two geographical zones.As Fusões e Aquisições (F&A) têm sido usadas como um meio para as empresas investirem em R&D e Ativos Intangíveis. O objetivo principal deste estudo é analisar se as diferenças entre a empresa alvo e a empresa compradora em termos de R&D e Ativos Intangíveis podem afetar o resultado das F&A. Isto resulta na criação ou destruição de valor para os acionistas das empresas compradoras e alvo? A amostra compreende 2,760 negócios dos Estados Unidos da América e da Zona Euro ao longo de 15 anos – desde 2005 a 2019. A reação do preço das ações ao anúncio de uma aquisição é medida pelas rendibilidades anormais acumuladas (CARs). Em relação aos ativos intangíveis, não encontro evidência para a teoria de “adverse selection”. A ideia de que a empresa alvo é comprada com desconto devido à possibilidade de assimetrias de informação não se confirma neste estudo. Relativamente aos gastos em R&D, a ideia de que a empresa compradora faz a aquisição de uma empresa que tem um investimento relativo superior em R&D para entrar num ambiente tecnológico, e por isso, ganhar com o negócio não é confirmada neste estudo. Encontro evidência de que as empresas combinadas incorrem em perdas quando a empresa alvo investe mais em R&D do que a empresa compradora. Encontro também evidência de que as empresas alvo com investimento superior em R&D do que as empresas compradoras ganham com o anúncio do negócio. Alguns autores defendem que a ideia – de que o comprador está a comprar uma empresa alvo com um investimento relativo superior em R&D para entrar num ambiente tecnológico, e por isso, ganhar com o negócio – é especialmente significativa num ambiente tecnológico onde as capacidades de R&D são cruciais para a expansão das empresas, no entanto não encontro resultados que confirmem essa ideia. No que diz respeito às diferenças entre os negócios realizados pelas empresas da zona euro e pelas empresas dos EUA, não encontro resultados que mostrem diferenças entre negócios realizados nessas zonas geográficas

A corporate metadata dashboard for the BI & analytics department of EDP Comercial : curricular internship in EDP Comercial

Companies that want to remain competitive in the market need to constantly update themselves. With the development of technology, it is now possible to collect more data about the business and companies have made large investments in this collection, processing and analysis of data. One of the business difficulties is the organization of these data, which is now in increasing quantities. Thus, the challenge of this project arose: the organization of large amounts of data in a corporate metadata dashboard to improve the internal management of a department in relation to its developed projects. The DOMO Business Intelligence software was used to facilitate the processing of information and allow the visualization of data in a more accessible and useful method. The project results were positive, bringing to the company in question, EDP Comercial, an improvement in the department's Internal Management, with advantages in terms of data visualization and in economic terms.As empresas que se querem manter competitivas no mercado precisam de se atualizar constantemente. Com o desenvolvimento da tecnologia, é agora possível recolher mais dados sobre o negócio e as empresas têm feito grandes investimentos nessa recolha, processamento e análise desses mesmos dados. Uma das dificuldades do negócio é a organização desses dados, que agora são em cada vez maiores quantidades. Assim, surgiu o desafio deste projeto: a organização de grandes quantidades de dados em um dashboard de metadados corporativo para melhorar a gestão interna de um departamento em relação aos seus projetos já desenvolvidos. O software DOMO Business Intelligence foi utilizado para facilitar o processamento das informações e permitir a visualização dos dados de forma mais acessível e útil. Os resultados do projeto foram positivos, trazendo para a empresa em causa, a EDP Comercial, uma melhoria na Gestão Interna do departamento, com vantagens em termos de visualização de dados e em termos económicos