Implementação de Contratos pela Autoridade Antitruste: O Caso do Mecanismo de Cessação de Práticas Anticompetitivas (CCP)

O CCP equivale a um acordo entre o CADE e a firma acusada de agir anticompetitivamente, com vistas a interromper a prática investigada dentro de um prazo estabelecido. Durante este compromisso, o processo fica suspenso e, após este período, se for concluído que a parte acusada se comportou concorrencialmente, o processo é arquivado. Caso contrário, estão previstas penalizações como multa diária e publicação do extrato de decisão condenatória em jornais do país. Tendo em vista que a aplicações do CCP no Brasil é ainda incipiente, bem como a existência de estudos sobre o tema, o presente artigo objetiva averiguar as condições para uma firma se comprometer com o CADE a cessar práticas anticompetitivas em um jogo com informação incompleta. Os resultados indicaram que: a firma deve cumprir o CCP quanto maiores forem as perdas de reputação e financeiras, e menores os ganhos de infração relativos aos normais; o CADE deve propor o CCP quando seu benefício em fazê-lo for superior às perdas da firma; e, quando a firma infringe a lei e o CADE não sabe seu tipo, ele deve aplicar o CCP se maior for a crença de que ela é de baixo custo. .Informa¸ção Assimétrica, Regulação Antitruste, Contratos

On the cyclic behaviour of stone dry masonry joints

Dry masonry mechanics received little attention from research community, when compared with resources invested in traditional (mortared joint) masonry. Therefore, this work focuses on the characterization of Coulomb failure criterion and the loaddisplacement behaviour of dry masonry joints under cyclic loading, including aspects as surface roughness, dilatancy, inelastic behaviour, different stones and moisture contents. A displacement controlled test set-up using masonry couplets is used for this purpose. Besides providing a basis for understanding the behaviour of masonry joints, the experiments contribute also to the definition of non-linear numeric models

Monastery of Salzedas (Portugal) : intervention in the cloister

A comprehensive program involving inspection, diagnosis, safety assessment and remedial measures of a Cistercian cloister is presented. The cloister was in very bad structural conditions and the consolidations works aimed at stopping further degradation and at preventing collapse. With the objective of keeping the abandoned / ruined condition of the cloister, all works have been hidden, while ample information is available to document the intervention

DESIGN DE CONTRATOS PELA AUTORIDADE ANTITRUSTE: O CASO DO MECANISMO DE CESSAÇÃO DE PRÁTICAS ANTICOMPETITIVAS (CCP)

The cease-and-desist commitment (CCP, a mechanism equivalent to a Consent Decree in the United States) is an agreement between the Administrative Counsel of Concurrence Defense (CADE) and an anticompetitive firm, aiming to cease the investigated practice in a certain period of time. During this agreement, there is a withdraw of the lawsuit. If the firm hasn't been respected the CCP, fines and reputation sanctions can be applied. Considering that the CCP utilization is still new in Brazil as well the literature about the theme, the objective of this paper is to analyze the conditions for a firm make a CCP, in a game with incomplete information. The results indicate that: the firms should follow the CCP as bigger were the loss of reputation and fines, and smaller the infraction profits against the normal profits; the antitrust authority should offer the CCP when the benefits of this proposal were bigger than the losing of the firm; the antitrust authority should offer the CCP when there is a belief that the firm is low cost type.

Local scale dynamics to promote the sustainable management of construction and demolition waste

2_(Des)construir_Economia_Circular). This work was also supported by the Portuguese Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (FCT) under the project LA/P/0069/2020 granted to the Associate Laboratory ARNET, and the strategic project UIDB/04292/2020 granted to MARE - Marine and Environmental Sciences Centre.On a local scale, municipalities often incur high costs as a result of the illegal dumping of construction and demolition waste (CDW), due to gaps in awareness and training, a lack of adequate oversight actions or infrastructure and equipment. Moreover, there is a loss of resources, failing to close the loop of the circular economy. Six participatory workshops were implemented in 2021, via videoconference due to the Covid-19 pandemic, in a rural Portuguese region, to understand the contribution of local scale dynamics in the promotion of CDW management from an operational perspective. Three of them were dedicated to municipal technicians (39 participants, on average) and the other three to representatives of micro and small construction companies (25 participants, on average). The results reveal that strategies must rely on investment in local solutions to optimise logistics and cost issues, cooperation between stakeholders, and improving the market for recycled aggregates. Also, support for information, awareness, and training is essential, focusing on good practices onsite and oversight procedures. Additionally, municipalities were involved in the prioritisation of legal framework issues, and micro and small construction companies concerning the determinants contributing for their behaviour change. These findings contribute to solving gaps in the literature, useful for researchers and decision-makers in rural or less developed areas.publishersversionpublishe

Benefits of adding food education sessions to an exercise programme on cardiovascular risk factors in patients with type 2 diabetes

To evaluate the impact of adding food education sessions to an exercise programme on cardiovascular risk factors in middle-aged and older patients with type 2 diabetes (T2D), a randomised parallel-group study was performed. Glycated haemoglobin, body mass index (BMI), waist circumference, fat mass (FM) and blood pressure were assessed at baseline and after 9 months. The recruitment was made in three primary healthcare centres from Vila Real, Portugal. Thirty-three patients (65⋅4 ± 5⋅9 years old) were engaged in a 9-month community-based lifestyle intervention programme: a supervised exercise programme (EX; n = 15; combined aerobic, resistance, agility/balance and flexibility exercise; three sessions per week; 75 min per session); or the same exercise programme plus concomitant food education sessions (EXFE; n = 18; 15-min lectures and dual-task strategies during exercise (answer nutrition questions while walking); 16 weeks). Significant differences between groups were identified in the evolution of BMI (P < 0.001, ) and FM (P < 0.001, ), with best improvements observed in the EXFE group. The addition of a simple food education dietary intervention to an exercise programme improved body weight and composition, but not glycaemic control and blood pressure in middle-aged and older patients with T2D.This research received no specific grant from any funding agency, commercial or not-for-profit sectors

An MLSA-based online scheme for the rapid identification of Stenotrophomonas isolates

An online scheme to assign Stenotrophomonas isolates to genomic groups was developed using the multilocus sequence analysis (MLSA), which is based on the DNA sequencing of selected fragments of the housekeeping genes ATP synthase alpha subunit (atpA), the recombination repair protein (recA), the RNA polymerase alpha subunit (rpoA) and the excision repair beta subunit (uvrB). This MLSA-based scheme was validated using eight of the 10 Stenotrophomonas species that have been previously described. The environmental and nosocomial Stenotrophomonas strains were characterised using MLSA, 16S rRNA sequencing and DNA-DNA hybridisation (DDH) analyses. Strains of the same species were found to have greater than 95% concatenated sequence similarity and specific strains formed cohesive readily recognisable phylogenetic groups. Therefore, MLSA appeared to be an effective alternative methodology to amplified fragment length polymorphism fingerprint and DDH techniques. Strains of Stenotrophomonas can be readily assigned through the open database resource that was developed in the current study (www.steno.lncc.br/)

PRIMEIRO REGISTRO DE Cleantioides verecundus KENSLEY & CLARK, 1998 (ISOPODA:VALVIFERA: HOLOGNATHIDAE) PARA O ATLÂNTICO SUL

The isopods belonging the genus Cleantioides Kensley &amp; Kaufman, 1978 are the most representative into the family Holognathidae Thomson, 1904, which currently contain 13 described species occurring in eastern and northern Pacific, Caribbean, central eastern Atlantic, south Atlantic and South Africa. Despite the broad distribution of the genus around the world, only two species Cleantioides planicauda Benedict, 1899 and Cleantioides occidentalis (Richardson, 1899) have been recorded from South Atlantic, only C. planicauda has its occurrence in southern Brazilian waters (State of São Paulo). In addition, the species of C. verecundus Kensley &amp; Clark, 1998 was recorded only for the type location (Key Largo, Flórida). Based on that, in this paper, we report the first record of C. verecundus to South Atlantic in Brazilian waters (State of Pernambuco). In this way, the new record of this species contributes to the enrichment of the fauna of Brazilian crustaceans, based on that, we provide the second world record and the first in the south Atlantic, increase its distribution by 6.169 km from the type location. This record increases the number of species of this genus from Brazilian waters (two recorded species) and three from South Atlantic.Keywords: Brazil; Pernambuco; South America; Macroalgae.Os isópodes pertencentes ao gênero Cleantioides Kensley &amp; Kaufman, 1978 são os mais representativos da família Holognathidae Thomson, 1904, que atualmente contém 13 espécies descritas que ocorrem no leste e norte do Pacífico, Caribe, Atlântico leste central, Atlântico Sul e África do Sul. Apesar da ampla distribuição do gênero em todo o mundo, apenas duas espécies Cleantioides planicauda Benedict, 1899 e Cleantioides occidentalis (Richardson, 1899) foram registradas no Atlântico Sul, apenas C. planicauda ocorre em águas do sul do Brasil (Estado de São Paulo). Além disso, a espécie C. verecundus Kensley &amp; Clark, 1998 possui apenas registro para a sua localidade- tipo (Key Largo, Flórida). Com base nisso, relatamos o primeiro registro de C. verecundus no Atlântico Sul em águas brasileiras (Estado de Pernambuco). Dessa forma, o novo registro desta espécie contribui para o enriquecimento da fauna de crustáceos brasileiros, com base nisso, fornecemos o segundo registro mundial e o primeiro no sul do Atlântico, aumentando a distribuição em 6,169 km do local-tipo. Esse registro aumenta o número de espécies deste gênero nas águas brasileiras (duas espécies registradas) e três do Atlântico Sul.Palavras-chaves: Brasil, Pernambuco, América do Sul, Macroalga.

S. epidermidis isolates from a tertiary care Portuguese hospital show very high antibiotic non-susceptible rates and significant ability to form biofilms

Healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) have been increasing during recent decades, leading to long hospital stays and high morbidity and mortality rates. The usage of antibiotics therapy against these infections is enhancing the emergence of more multiple-drug resistant strains, in particular in Staphylococcus epidermidis. Hence, this study focused on the resistance pattern of S. epidermidis isolates from clinical settings and its association with phenotypic and molecular traits. Our results showed that HAIs were more prevalent among infants and older adults, and the most frequent type of HAI was central line-associated bloodstream infection. Half of the patients received antibiotic therapy before laboratory diagnosis. Preceding microbiological diagnosis, the number of patients receiving antibiotic therapy increased by 29.1%. Eighty-six per cent of the clinical isolates presented a multidrug resistance (MDR) profile, and a quarter were strong biofilm producers. Furthermore, polysaccharide intercellular adhesin (PIA)-dependent biofilms presented higher biomass production (p=0.0041) and a higher rate of antibiotic non-susceptibility than PIA-independent biofilms, emphasizing the role of icaABDC operon in infection severity. Therefore, this study suggests that a thorough understanding of the phenotypic and molecular traits of the bacterial cause of the HAIs may lead to a more suitable selection of antibiotic therapy, improving guidance and outcome assessment.Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (FCT) and COMPETE grants PTDC/BIA-MIC/113450/2009 (FCOMP-01-0124-FEDER-014309). The authors thank the FCT Strategic Project of UID/BIO/04469/2013 unit, the project NORTE-07-0124-FEDER-000027, co-funded by the Programa Operacional Regional do Norte (ON.2—O Novo Norte), QREN, FEDER and the project RECI/BBB-EBI/0179/2012 (FCOMP-01-0124-FEDER-027462)info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio