Non-technological innovation activities mediate the impacts of the intra- and extra-organizational contexts on technological innovation outputs

This work was supported by Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia’s grant SFRH/BPD/77611/2011 to Ana Ferreira; PEst-OE/SADG/UI4067/2013-2014 to CESNOVA. The authors thank Manuel Lisboa for general support and Catarina Vieira and Mariana Pinho for technical assistance. Ana Ferreira is the corresponding author. Please address all correspondence to: Centro Interdisciplinar de Ciências Sociais CICS.NOVA - Faculdade de Ciências Sociais e Humanas - Universidade Nova de Lisboa (CICS.NOVA.FCSH/UNL), Avenida de Berna, 26 C, 1069-061, Lisboa, PortugalThe increasing interest on innovation studies and, particularly, on technological innovation has been attributed to innovation’s social and economic relevance. Still, organizational and marketing innovation activities, which are critical for firms’ economic performance, have been far less studied. This paper will specifically characterize these non-technological innovation processes, their firm and environmental underpinnings, as well as their impacts on technological innovation outputs (i.e., goods and services). For this purpose, it focuses on the Information and Communication Technology (ICT) services sector in Portugal between 2010 and 2012. This period is characterized by a socio-economic crisis context that is concomitant to decreases in firms’ innovation activities and economic performance. Under this challenging scenario, our data shows that organizational and/or marketing innovation activities mediate the impacts of firms’ 1) assets; 2) research activities and empowerment strategies; and 3) structure and climate of decision-making processes, on technological innovation outputs. This study reveals that decreases in innovative performance during the socio-economic crisis could be attributed not only to unfavourable firm and environmental contexts, but also to the absence of non-technological innovation activities. As such, it is suggested that support of non-technological innovation by firms’ managers and, at a broader level, by public policies is critical for launching of new products and services to the markets

The social importance of happiness

UIDB/04647/2020 UIDP/04647/2020Assistimos atualmente a uma busca crescente de modos de vida onde a preocupação com a felicidade assume especial relevância. Esta visibilidade é um sinal da crescente preocupação social com o tema cujas manifestações têm consequências diretas sobre as práticas e representações dos atores sociais que direcionam as suas condutas em função dos seus ideais de felicidade, promovendo a criação de expetativas coletivas que orientam a ação individual e contribuindo para a partilha e uniformização das formas de sentir. Pretende-se neste capítulo, aprofundar a compreensão acerca das causas e consequências da procura de felicidade, partindo da apresentação de indicadores que mostram claramente a importância que a felicidade assume na vida social atual, bem como discutir as causas da sua visibilidade a partir de transformações sociais e económicas que, associadas a uma mudança dos valores sociais de referência, contribuíram para a sua crescente relevância.publishersversionpublishe

Percepção dos guias de turismo da cidade de Natal/RN sobre as plataformas de turismo colaborativo

Este artigo tem como objetivo analisar a percepção dos guias de turismo da cidade de Natal, capital do Rio Grande do Norte regulamentados pelo Cadastur e sindicalizados, em relação às plataformas de turismo colaborativo. Trata-se de uma pesquisa descritiva. Empregou-se a netnografia, uma vez que se fez necessário, dentre outros, realizar um levantamento das plataformas de turismo existentes. No que se refere à abordagem, caracteriza-se como sendo quantitativa. Aplicou-se um questionário estruturado com dezoito questões objetivas a um grupo de 160 guias de turismo regulamentados e membros do Sindicato de Guias do RN. Os participantes responderam a questões sobre: perfil sociodemográfico, o conhecimento e a percepção sobre as plataformas, expressando seu nível de concordância pela escala de Likert variando de 1 a 5. Os resultados apontam para uma visão predominantemente positiva, apesar de os participantes reconhecerem a concorrência desleal e fazerem pouco uso delas na atuação profissional

A ten-year retrospective study of the clinical, sociodemographic, and survival characteristics of patients with oral and pharyngeal squamous cell carcinomas/ Estudo retrospectivo de dez anos das características clínicas, sociodemográficas e de sobrevida de pacientes com carcinomas epidermóides orais e faríngeos

Objective: This study evaluated the epidemiological profile of patients diagnosed with squamous cell carcinoma, as well compared oral and pharyngeal lesions regarding the survival of these patients. Material and Methods: Convenience sampling was employed to select the participants, who had their medical records of the period 200-2009 investigated. Sociodemographic and clinical-pathological data were collected and correlated with site of the lesion, TMN classification, of the tumor, and survival of the patients. Fisher’s and Chi-square tests, Kaplan-Meir curve associated with the Long Rank Mantel-Cox test, and Cox’s regression for survival analysis were performed to evaluate the results. Results: Sixty-year-old illiterate females presented higher prevalence of oral cancer with a more severe lymphonodular infiltration, worse tumor staging, and chemo and radiotherapy treatment. Meanwhile, sixty-year-old illiterate males presented higher prevalence of pharyngeal cancer, lower rates of lymphonodular infiltration, and chirurgical treatment. The survival of the patients with oral cancer was correlated with the lymphonodular infiltration level, while for patients with pharyngeal cancer the survival was correlated with chirurgical treatment. Thus, head and neck cancer are still diagnosed belatedly, mainly when it affects the pharynx.Conclusion: Therefore, preventive and educative strategies, as well as amplification of access to health care should be considered targets for achieving reduction in the mortality rates of populations with oropharyngeal cancer

Intracoronary Administration of Allogeneic Adipose Tissue-Derived Mesenchymal Stem Cells Improves Myocardial Perfusion But Not Left Ventricle Function, in a Translational Model of Acute Myocardial Infarction

Background-Autologous adipose tissue-derived mesenchymal stem cells (ATMSCs) therapy is a promising strategy to improve post-myocardial infarction outcomes. In a porcine model of acute myocardial infarction, we studied the long-term effects and the mechanisms involved in allogeneic ATMSCs administration on myocardial performance. Methods and Results-Thirty-eight pigs underwent 50 minutes of coronary occlusion; the study was completed in 33 pigs. After reperfusion, allogeneic ATMSCs or culture medium (vehicle) were intracoronarily administered. Follow-ups were performed at short (2 days after acute myocardial infarction vehicle-treated, n=10; ATMSCs-treated, n=9) or long term (60 days after acute myocardial infarction vehicle-treated, n=7; ATMSCs-treated, n=7). At short term, infarcted myocardium analysis showed reduced apoptosis in the ATMSCs-treated animals (48.6 +/- 6\% versus 55.9 +/- 5.7\% in vehicle; P=0.017); enhancement of the reparative process with up-regulated vascular endothelial growth factor, granulocyte macrophage colony-stimulating factor, and stromal-derived factor-1 alpha gene expression; and increased M2 macrophages (67.2 +/- 10\% versus 54.7 +/- 10.2\% in vehicle; P=0.016). In long-term groups, increase in myocardial perfusion at the anterior infarct border was observed both on day-7 and day-60 cardiac magnetic resonance studies in ATMSCs-treated animals, compared to vehicle (87.9 +/- 28.7 versus 57.4 +/- 17.7 mL/min per gram at 7 days; P=0.034 and 99 +/- 22.6 versus 43.3 +/- 14.7 22.6 mL/min per gram at 60 days; P=0.0001, respectively). At day 60, higher vascular density was detected at the border zone in the ATMSCs-treated animals (118 +/- 18 versus 92.4 +/- 24.3 vessels/mm(2) in vehicle; P=0.045). Cardiac magnetic resonance-measured left ventricular ejection fraction of left ventricular volumes was not different between groups at any time point. Conclusions-In this porcine acute myocardial infarction model, allogeneic ATMSCs-based therapy was associated with increased cardioprotective and reparative mechanisms and with better cardiac magnetic resonance-measured perfusion. No effect on left ventricular volumes or ejection fraction was observed.This work was supported by grants from Fundacion la Marato de TV3 (122230); Fondo de Investigacion Sanitaria Instituto de Salud Carlos III and Fondo Europeo de Desarrollo Regional (FIS PI14/01682), (RD12/0042/0006), (RD12/0042/0047), (RD12/0019/0029) (TerCel RD16/0011/0006), CIBER Cardiovascular (CB16/11/00403) projects and Ministerio de Educacion y Ciencia (SAF2011-30067-C02-01) (SAF2014-59892). Fernaandez-Jimenez was the recipient of nonoverlapping grants from the Ministerio de Economia, Industria, y Competitividad through the Instituto de Salud Carlos III (Rio Hortega fellowship); and the Fundacion Jesus Serra, the Fundacion Interhospitalaria de Investigacion Cardiovascular (FIC), and the CNIC (FICNIC fellowship). The use of QMass software was partly supported by a scientific collaboration between the CNIC and Medis Medical Imaging Systems BV. The CNIC is supported by the Ministerio de Economia, Industria, y Competitividad (MINECO) and the Pro CNIC Foundation, and is a Severo Ochoa Center of Excellence (MINECO award SEV-2015-0505). This work was also funded by ``la Caixa Banking Foundation, and the Generalitat de Catalunya (SGR 2014, CERCA Programme). This work has been developed in the context of AdvanceCat with the support of ACCIO (Catalonia Trade \& Investment; Generalitat de Catalunya) under the Catalonian ERDF operational program (European Regional Development Fund) 2014-2020.S

Expanding the knowledge about Leishmania species in wild mammals and dogs in the Brazilian savannah

Background: Wild, synanthropic and domestic mammals act as hosts and/or reservoirs of several Leishmania spp. Studies on possible reservoirs of Leishmania in different areas are fundamental to understand host-parasite interactions and develop strategies for the surveillance and control of leishmaniasis. In the present study, we evaluated the Leishmania spp. occurrence in mammals in two conservation units and their surroundings in Brasília, Federal District (FD), Brazil. Methods: Small mammals were captured in Brasília National Park (BNP) and Contagem Biological Reserve (CBR) and dogs were sampled in residential areas in their vicinity. Skin and blood samples were evaluated by PCR using different molecular markers (D7 24Sα rRNA and rDNA ITS1). Leishmania species were identified by sequencing of PCR products. Dog blood samples were subjected to the rapid immunochromatographic test (DPP) for detection of anti-Leishmania infantum antibodies. Results: 179 wild mammals were studied and 20.1% had Leishmania DNA successfully detected in at least one sample. Six mammal species were considered infected: Clyomys laticeps, Necromys lasiurus, Nectomys rattus, Rhipidomys macrurus, Didelphis albiventris and Gracilinanus agilis. No significant difference, comparing the proportion of individuals with Leishmania spp., was observed between the sampled areas and wild mammal species. Most of the positive samples were collected from the rodent N. lasiurus, infected by L. amazonensis or L. braziliensis. Moreover, infections by Trypanosoma spp. were detected in N. lasiurus and G. agilis. All 19 dog samples were positive by DPP; however, only three (15.8%) were confirmed by PCR assays. DNA sequences of ITS1 dog amplicons showed 100% identity with L. infantum sequence. Conclusions: The results suggest the participation of six species of wild mammals in the enzootic transmission of Leishmania spp. in FD. This is the first report of L. amazonensis in N. lasiurus

Síndrome de DiGeorge: um relato de caso: DiGeorge's Syndrome: a case report

O presente artigo objetivou apresentar o caso clínico de uma paciente pediátrica diagnosticada com a síndrome de DiGeorge e que foi admitida no setor de Cardiologia Pediátrica para correção de malformação cardíaca. Este trabalho se trata de um estudo descritivo, do tipo relato de caso, que visou analisar as principais manifestações desse distúrbio genético, bem como suas abordagens diagnósticas e terapêuticas. A criança foi submetida à correção de defeito cardíaco característico da anomalia e evoluiu com parada cardiorrespiratória, prontamente revertida, e com crise convulsiva no pós-operatório. A anomalia possui espectro clínico diverso, com repercussões que impactam sobremaneira no equilíbrio eletrolítico e nos sistemas imunológico e cardiovascular, exigindo reconhecimento em tempo hábil e a adoção de condutas assertivas para reduzir a morbidade do portador

A inclusão escolar para pacientes com deficiência intelectual ou atraso cognitivo: School inclusion for patients with intellectual disability or cognitive delay

A educação inclusiva é fundamental para que crianças e adolescentes vivenciem ideias e experiências de ensino aprendizagem significativa, desenvolvam a autonomia e conquistem direitos de cidadania. No entanto, existem obstáculos que precisam ser compreendidos e superados e estratégias que podem ser adotadas para promover a inclusão de crianças com deficiência intelectual ou atraso cognitivo. Diante disso, este estudo tem como objetivo compreender o processo de inclusão escolar de alunos com deficiência intelectual ou atraso cognitivo. Para isso, trata-se de uma revisão sistemática de literatura, desenvolvida a partir da seleção de estudos nas bases de dados Scielo, Pubmed e BVS/Medline a partir do uso de descritores DeCS/MeSH e aplicação de critérios de inclusão e exclusão. Após a análise e interpretação dos dados, concluiu-se que, no processo de inclusão de alunos com deficiência intelectual ou atraso cognitivo no ambiente escolar, a educação inclusiva interfere positivamente na qualidade de vida desses. Para isso, destacam-se uma série de estratégias relevantes, tais como: envolvimento de escola como um todo, dos professores e da família; compreender a deficiência; valorizar os interesses e habilidades dos alunos com deficiência; estimular a autodeterminação desses e a convivência entre pessoas deficientes e não deficientes; promover a socialização por meio de jogos; utilizar atividades adaptadas; e cuidar da formação inicial e continuada dos professores, contemplando ideias sobre educação inclusiva

Pervasive gaps in Amazonian ecological research

Biodiversity loss is one of the main challenges of our time,1,2 and attempts to address it require a clear un derstanding of how ecological communities respond to environmental change across time and space.3,4 While the increasing availability of global databases on ecological communities has advanced our knowledge of biodiversity sensitivity to environmental changes,5–7 vast areas of the tropics remain understudied.8–11 In the American tropics, Amazonia stands out as the world’s most diverse rainforest and the primary source of Neotropical biodiversity,12 but it remains among the least known forests in America and is often underrepre sented in biodiversity databases.13–15 To worsen this situation, human-induced modifications16,17 may elim inate pieces of the Amazon’s biodiversity puzzle before we can use them to understand how ecological com munities are responding. To increase generalization and applicability of biodiversity knowledge,18,19 it is thus crucial to reduce biases in ecological research, particularly in regions projected to face the most pronounced environmental changes. We integrate ecological community metadata of 7,694 sampling sites for multiple or ganism groups in a machine learning model framework to map the research probability across the Brazilian Amazonia, while identifying the region’s vulnerability to environmental change. 15%–18% of the most ne glected areas in ecological research are expected to experience severe climate or land use changes by 2050. This means that unless we take immediate action, we will not be able to establish their current status, much less monitor how it is changing and what is being lostinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio