9,498 research outputs found
Organization and representation of informal workers in São Tomé and Príncipe: state agency and sectoral informal alternatives
In São Tomé and Príncipe, both the size of the informal economy and the scope of the mechanisms of organization and representation are little known. A research conducted recently showed that the almost always limited and irregular incomes generated in this sector are also associated with precarity and a lack of social protection mechanisms. While initiatives led by the state and supported by international funders positioned unions as privileged organizations for representing and supporting the workers in this sector, the limited results generated opportunities for the creation of sectoral bottom-up initiatives. The discussion is then focused on the areas addressed by the initiatives of specific sectors and types of activity - taxi and motorbike drivers and money exchangers - comparing the outcomes with those of the unions in terms of increased social protection and representation.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio
Optimal control strategies for tuberculosis treatment: a case study in Angola
We apply optimal control theory to a tuberculosis model given by a system of
ordinary differential equations. Optimal control strategies are proposed to
minimize the cost of interventions. Numerical simulations are given using data
from Angola.Comment: This is a preprint of a paper whose final and definite form will
appear in the international journal Numerical Algebra, Control and
Optimization (NACO). Paper accepted for publication 15-March-201
Balanced Scorecard aplicado à Coudelaria de Alter : trabalho elaborado no âmbito do FORGEP
O presente relatório foi elaborado no âmbito do Curso de Formação de Dirigentes da Administração Pública-FORGEP, Edição Suplementar de Coimbra e apresenta, num plano puramente académico, uma proposta de aplicação do Balanced Scorecard à Coudelaria de Alter
Quantum Necking in Stressed Metallic Nanowires
When a macroscopic metallic wire is subject to tensile stress, it necks down
smoothly as it elongates. We show that nanowires with radii comparable to the
Fermi wavelength display remarkably different behavior. Using concepts from
fluid dynamics, a PDE for nanowire shape evolution is derived from a
semiclassical energy functional that includes electron-shell effects. A rich
dynamics involving movement and interaction of kinks connecting locally stable
radii is found, and a new class of universal equilibrium shapes is predicted.Comment: 4 pages, 3 postscript figures. New result on universal equilibrium
shape
The role of structural evolution on the quantum conductance behavior of gold nanowires during stretching
Gold nanowires generated by mechanical stretching have been shown to adopt
only three kinds of configurations where their atomic arrangements adjust such
that either the [100], [111] or [110] zone axes lie parallel to the elongation
direction. We have analyzed the relationship between structural rearrangements
and electronic transport behavior during the elongation of Au nanowires for
each of the three possibilities. We have used two independent experiments to
tackle this problem, high resolution transmission high resolution electron
microscopy to observe the atomic structure and a mechanically controlled break
junction to measure the transport properties. We have estimated the conductance
of nanowires using a theoretical method based on the extended H\"uckel theory
that takes into account the atom species and their positions. Aided by these
calculations, we have consistently connected both sets of experimental results
and modeled the evolution process of gold nanowires whose conductance lies
within the first and third conductance quanta. We have also presented evidence
that carbon acts as a contaminant, lowering the conductance of one-atom-thick
wires.Comment: 10 page
Origin of anomalously long interatomic distances in suspended gold chains
The discovery of long bonds in gold atom chains has represented a challenge
for physical interpretation. In fact, interatomic distances frequently attain
3.0-3.6 A values and, distances as large as 5.0 A may be seldom observed. Here,
we studied gold chains by transmission electron microscopy and performed
theoretical calculations using cluster ab initio density functional formalism.
We show that the insertion of two carbon atoms is required to account for the
longest bonds, while distances above 3 A may be due to a mixture of clean and
one C atom contaminated bonds.Comment: 4 pages, 4 Postscript figures, to be published in Physical Review
Letter
Germinação de sementes de muruci submetidas à secagem.
O objetivo do trabalho foi verificar as respostas fisiológicas de sementes de muruci submetidas a secagem. Antes e após cada período de secagem foi retirado amostra de sementes para as seguintes determinações: teor de água das sementes e porcentagem de germinação. Concomitante ao teste de germinação foi feita a contagem diária do número de plântulas emersas até 60 dias após a semeadura. Para a análise de variância foi adotado o delineamento inteiramente casualizado com quatro repetições de 50 pirênios cada, em arranjo fatorial com dois fatores, sendo, três (clones) e cinco (tempo de secagem). O tempo de secagem das sementes afetou positiva e significativamente a porcentagem e o tempo médio de germinação. A secagem dos pirênios favorece a porcentagem de germinação de sementes de muruci, independentemente do clone
Unlocking the in vitroanti- inflammatory and antidiabetic potential of Polygonum maritimum
Context: Several Polygonum species (Polygonaceae) are used in traditional medicine in Asia, Europe and Africa to treat inflammation and diabetes. Objective: Evaluate the in vitro antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and antidiabetic potential of methanol and dichloromethane extracts of leaves and roots of the halophyte Polygonum maritimum L. Material and methods: Antioxidant activity was determined (up to 1mg/mL) as radical-scavenging activity (RSA) of 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH), 2,2'azino-bis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulphonic acid) (ABTS), copper (CCA) and iron (ICA) chelating activities and iron reducing power (FRAP). NO production was measured in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-stimulated macrophages for 24 h at concentrations up to 100 mu g/mL and antidiabetic potential was assessed by alpha-amylase and alpha-glucosidase inhibition (up to 10 g/mL) assays. The phytochemical composition of the extracts was determined by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). Results: The methanol leaf extract had the highest activity against DPPH center dot (IC50 = 26 mu g/mL) and ABTS1(+)center dot (IC50 = 140 mu g FRAP (IC50 = 48 mu g/mL) and CCA (IC50 = 770 mu g/mL). Only the dichloromethane leaf extract (LDCM) showed anti-inflammatory activity (IC50 = 48 mu g/mL). The methanol root (IC50 = 19 mu g/mL) and leaf (IC50 = 29 mu g/mL) extracts strongly inhibited baker's yeast alpha-glucosidase, but LDCM had higher rat's alpha-glucosidase inhibition (IC50 = 2527 mu g/mL) than acarbose (IC50 = 4638 mu g/mL). GC-MS analysis identified beta-sitosterol, stigmasterol, 1-octacosanol and linolenic acid as possible molecules responsible for the observed bioactivities. Conclusions: Our findings suggest P. maritimum as a source of high-value health promoting commodities for alleviating symptoms associated with oxidative and inflammatory diseases, including diabetes.XtremeBio project - Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT) [PTDC/MAR-EST/4346/2012]; Portuguese National Budget; FCT [CCMAR/Multi/04326/ 2013, IF/00049/2012, SFRH/BPD/86071/2012, UID/Multi/00612/2013
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