The Curvilinear Relationships Between Top Decision Maker Goal Orientations and Firm Ambidexterity: Moderating Effect of Role Experience

Ambidextrous firms are those that can simultaneously manage exploitative and explorative innovation, which is why ambidexterity is key for firms that desire to pursue strategic entrepreneurship. Researchers have explored many of the reasons why some firms are more ambidextrous than others. However, little attention has been devoted to understanding how attributes of top decision makers can influence their firms\u27 ambidexterity. By drawing on upper echelons theory and goal orientations research, we explain how firms\u27 ambidexterity can be affected by top decision makers\u27 motivations in achievement situations (i.e., goal orientations). Testing our hypotheses on a sample of 274 top decision makers of firms in the United States, we find that top decision makers\u27 learning goal orientation - their desire to take risks and maximize learning-has an inverted U-shaped relationship with ambidexterity while top decision makers\u27 performance prove goal orientation - their desire to demonstrate competence with existing skills - has a U-shaped relationship with ambidexterity. These effects are weaker for top decision makers who have greater role experience

Prototypical dimensions of business opportunity in early stages of the entrepreneurial process

The purpose of this paper is to describe how individuals with no entrepreneurial experience use prototypical dimensions of business opportunities at the first two stages of the entrepreneurial process: recognition and decision to launch a venture. Previous studies have described the business opportunity prototype (Baron & Ensley, 2006); however, they do not describe how it is used and rely on retrospective data and entrepreneurs\u27 prior experience. We intend to overcome these gaps by using two hypothetical scenarios and three conditions, creating a first entrepreneurial experience for individuals, having thus a 2 (scenario A and B) X 3 (condition: Problem solving , Cash flow , Manageable risk ) design plan with a total of six groups. Our results allow us to describe how individuals use the prototype in the first two stages of the entrepreneurial process. Specifically, we have a better understanding of the importance of risk, customers, and profit in both stages. Both in the recognition and the decision stages, risk is the most important factor, but profit and customers are considered differently in the two stages. In recognition, profit is more important than customers; however, in the decision stage, customers are a major concern for the participants. These results provide relevant information on the first entrepreneurial experience of individuals, which is crucial given the recognized need to promote entrepreneurial initiatives and behavior

New domestic processing methods: effect on potato nutritional composition

Background and objectives: Potatoes nutritional and bioactive features are influenced by thermal processing conditions, defining its nutritional composition and health impact. Consumers seek increasingly for faster domestic cooking methods, such as microwave cooking in alternative to current frying or baking. Also, several devices are being commercialized for healthier frying simulation, without a documented characterization of the final processed food nutritional data. Thus, this study aimed to assess and compare the influence of these domestic processing methods on the quality of potatoes processed with olive oil. Methods: Potatoes were processed by frying, baking, microwave and a low-fat frying device, with equivalent shape and olive oil amounts, except frying. Samples were evaluated for crude fat, fatty acid composition, vitamin E, total carotenoids and total phenols. Results: Microwave cooked potatoes presented similar fat contents as standard frying, higher than those achieved by baking or with the low-fat frying device tested, but the fatty acid composition was similar. Vitamin E loss was comparatively higher after frying but no significant differences were found for total carotenoids. Potatoes phenolic compounds were partially loss during cooking, being apparently higher after baking. Conclusions: The distinct nutritional features obtained highlight for the importance of detailing the food compositional tables regarding each processing method, including the “new” domestic methodologies, increasingly used by consumers

Understanding how and when personal values foster entrepreneurial behavior: a humane perspective

This study aims to examine the role of entrepreneurial inten- tions and motivations in the interplay between humane- oriented personal values and entrepreneurial behavior. Using data from 593 individuals in 2010 and 2019, we uncover how and when humane-oriented personal values (conservation and self-transcendence) lead to self-employment. Results suggest that entrepreneurial intentions function as a mechanism that triggers self-employment decisions for individuals with humane- oriented personal values and that this effect is stronger when they engage in opportunity-based entrepreneurship. Finally, we discuss the implications of these findings for the literature on personal values and the intention-action link.Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad ECO2016-75655-

Immunohistochemistry in the diagnosis of membranous glomerulonephritis: a comparative study of chromogen + counterstaining combination

A glomerulonefrite membranosa faz parte das doenças glomerulares que provocam glomerulonefrite crônica, apresentando-se como uma das causas da doença renal terminal. As técnicas de imunofluorescência são o gold standard no estudo imunológico desta patologia em biópsia renal, através da deteção de imunocomplexos (e.g. IgG e C3) e do seu padrão de distribuição granular característico. No entanto, a imunofluorescência não permite uma contextualização histológica e os fluorocromos utilizados possuem um reduzido tempo de atividade, ao contrário das técnicas imunoenzimáticas que utilizam cromogénios coloridos precipitados que permitem a obtenção de uma marcação permanente e a sua contextualização histológica por via da utilização de eficientes colorações de contraste. Com a finalidade de contribuir para a qualidade do diagnóstico da glomerulonefrite membranosa, em biópsias renais, procurou-se, com esta pesquisa, identificar uma técnica imunoenzimática, através da conjugação entre diferentes cromogênios e colorações de contraste, que permita a deteção de depósitos de IgG e C3, com padrão granular. Foram constituídos diferentes binômios cromogênio + coloração, com os cromogênios 3,3›- Diaminobenzidine Tetrahydrochloride e 3-Amino-9-ethylcarbazole e as colorações Periodic Acid Schiff, Periodic Acid Methenamine Silver e Hematoxilina. Foram utilizadas 72 secções de tecido provenientes de seis de casos de biópsias renais com diagnóstico de glomerulonefrite membranosa, fixados em formalina a 10% e incluídos em parafina. A recolha de dados foi realizada por observação microscópica com preenchimento de uma grelha de classificação dos parâmetros: preservação da morfologia, intensidade da marcação específica, quantidade relativa de estruturas marcadas, marcação inespecífica/fundo, contraste e padrão da marcação, que permitiu a classificação dos binómios estudados num score quantitativo de 0-100 pontos. O binômio que apresentou melhores resultados foi 3-Amino-9-ethylcarbazole + Hematoxilina (score 71,81) e o binômio 3,3›- Diaminobenzidine Tetrahydrochloride+Periodic Acid Methenamine Silver (score 7,81), apresentou os piores resultados. O resultado do teste Kruskal-Wallis indica-nos a presença de diferenças estatísticas entre os binómios em estudo (p=0,000). A Hematoxilina pode ser considerada a coloração mais eficaz, pois cumpriu a sua função de auxiliar e facilitar a observação do tipo de padrão com os dois cromogênios utilizados. O cromogênio 3-Amino-9-ethylcarbazole apresentou resultados semelhantes aos produzidos pelo 3,3›-Diaminobenzidine Tetrahydrochloride, no entanto, permitiu identificar em todos os casos o padrão granular de imunomarcação, ao contrário do que aconteceu com este último.ABSTRACT - Membranous glomerulonephritis is one of the glomerular diseases that induce chronic glomerulonephritis and one of the causes of terminal renal disease. Immunofluorescence techniques are the gold standard in the immunologic study of this disease in renal biopsy by the detection of the immunocomplexs and their granular specific pattern. However, immunofluorescence does not allow a histological contextualization and the fluorochromes that are used have a reduced timeline, contrary to immunoenzimatic techniques that use colorful chromogens which permit to obtain a permanent stain and a histological contextualization, with the help of efficient counterstaining. In order to contribute to the quality of diagnosis of membranous glomeurlonephritis in renal biopsies, we tried with this research to identify a combination of different chromogens and counterstainings that allows the detection of IgG and C3 deposits with granular pattern. So we establish different chromogen + counterstaing combination, with 3,3’- Diaminobenzidine Tetrahydrochloride and 3-Amino-9-ethylcarbazole as chromogens and Periodic Acid Schiff, Periodic Acid Methenamine Silver and Hematoxilin as counterstainings. We used 72 sections of 6 renal biopsies with membranous glomerulonephritis, formalin-fixed and paraffin-embedded. Data collection was performed by completing an assessment grid with parameters: preservation of morphology, intensity of specific staining, relative amount of labeled structures, nonspecific staining / background contrast and pattern of staining, which allowed the assignment of a 0-100 points quantitative score. 3-Amino-9-ethylcarbazole+Hematoxilin was the combination that accomplish the higher score (71.81) and 3,3’- Diaminobenzidine Tetrahydrochloride+ Periodic Acid Methenamine Silver the worst (7.81). Kruskal-Wallis test show us that exist statistical difference between the combinations in study (p=0.000). Hematoxilin was the most versatile counterstaining, because it help and facilitate the observation of the pattern produced by the two chromogen used. The chromogen 3-Amino-9-ethylcarbazole presented similar results to 3,3’-Diaminobenzidine Tetrahydrochloride, but, with the first one, all cases were evaluated as granular pattern unlike what happen with the last one

Photolytic release at different wavelengths of tetrapeptide AAPV from a pyrenylmethyl conjugate

Comunicação em painel no 2nd Symposium on Medicinal Chemistry, Braga, Portugal, 8 Maio 2015The present work describes the photolysis of ester conjugate NH2-Ala-Ala-Pro-Val-Pym, with Pym being the pyrenylmethylene group, at different wavelengths of irradiation in different solvents and simulated physiological environment. The photolysis of the ester conjugate and the release of the free tetrapeptide was monitored by HPLC with UV detection, with collection of kinetic data.Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia(FCT, Portugal) for financial support to the NMR portuguese network (PTNMR, Bruker Avance III 400-Univ. Minho), FCT and FEDER (European Fund for Regional Development)-COMPETE -QREN-EU for financial support to Research Centre of Chemistry, CQ/UM [PEst -C/QUI/UI0686/2013 (FCOMP-01-0124-FEDER-037302)]info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Possible implications of a poultry fungal contamination

Introdução – Apesar de em Portugal se verificar o aumento da indústria da produção de aves para consumo humano, apenas alguns estudos incidem sobre a qualidade do ar interior e as implicações da sua degradação. Objectivos – Descrever a contaminação fúngica num aviário, analisar possíveis associações com a temperatura ambiente e a humidade relativa e o possível impacto na saúde dos consumidores e trabalhadores desta unidade. Métodos – Foi desenvolvido um estudo descritivo para avaliar a contaminação fúngica num aviário. Colheram‑se 5 amostras de ar de 100 litros através do método de compactação e 4 amostras de superfícies, utilizando a técnica da zaragatoa e um quadrado de 10 cm de lado de metal. Simultaneamente, os parâmetros ambientais – temperatura ambiente e humidade relativa – também foram medidos. Resultados – Foram identificadas vinte espécies de fungos no ar, sendo os seguintes os quatro géneros mais comummente isolados: Cladosporium (40,5%), Alternaria (10,8%), Chrysosporium e Aspergillus (6,8%). Nas superfícies, 21 espécies de fungos foram identificadas, sendo os 4 géneros mais identificados Penicillium (51,8%), Cladosporium (25,4%), Alternaria (6,1%) e Aspergillus (4,2%). Importa referir o facto de Aspergillus flavus, também isolado no ar, ser reconhecido como produtor de micotoxinas (aflatoxina) e Aspergillus fumigatus, uma das espécies isoladas no ar e superfícies, ser capaz de causar aspergilose grave ou fatal. Não se verificou relação significativa (p> 0,05) entre a contaminação fúngica e as variáveis ambientais. Conclusão – Caracterizou‑se a distribuição fúngica no ar e superfícies do aviário e analisou‑se a possível influência das variáveis ambientais. Foi reconhecido um potencial problema de Saúde Pública devido à contaminação fúngica e à possível produção de micotoxinas com a eventual contaminação dos produtos alimentares. A contaminação fúngica, particularmente causada pelo Aspergillus fumigatus, e a possível presença de micotoxinas no ar, devem ser encaradas também como fatores de risco neste contexto ocupacional. ABSTRACT - Background – Although there is an increasingly industry that produce whole chickens for domestic consumption in Portugal, only few investigations have reported on the indoor air of these plants and the consequences of their degradation. Objectives – Describe one poultry environmental fungal contamination analyse possible associations between temperature and relative humidity and its possible impact on the health of consumers and of the poultry workers. Methods – A descriptive study was developed to monitor one poultry fungal contamination. Five air samples of 100 litres through impaction method were collected and 4 swab samples from surfaces were also collected using a 10 cm square of metal. Simultaneously, environmental parameters – temperature and relative humidity – were also measured. Results – Twenty species of fungi in air were identified, being the 4 most commonly isolated the following genera: Cladosporium (40.5%), Alternaria (10.8%), Chrysosporium and Aspergillus (6.8%). In surfaces, 21 species of fungi were identified, being the 4 genera more identified Penicillium (51.8%), Cladosporium (25.4%), Alternaria (6.1%) and Aspergillus (4.2%). In addition, Aspergillus flavus also isolated in the poultry air is a well‑known producer of potent mycotoxins (aflatoxin), and Aspergillus fumigatus, one of the species isolated in air and surfaces, is capable of causing severe or fatal aspergillosis. There was no significant relationship (p>0,05) between fungal contamination and environmental variables. Conclusions – Was characterized fungal distribution in poultry air and surfaces and analyzed the association of environmental variables. It was recognized the Public Health problem because of fungal contamination and also due to probable mycotoxins production with the possible contamination of food products. Fungal contamination, particularly due to the presence of Aspergillus fumigatus and also the possible presence of mycotoxins in the air, should be seen as risk factor in this occupational setting

A photolabile prodrug of tetrapeptide AAPV bearing 7-methoxycoumarin at the C-terminal

Comunicação em painel QS30 no livro de resumos do XX Encontro Luso-Galego de Químicathe present work describes the evaluation as a photolabile prodrug of a fluorescent conjugate of the tetrapeptide AAPV labeled at the C-terminus with 7-methoxycoumarin. This conjugate was submitted to photocleavage studies at different wavelengths of irradiation in different solvents and simulated physiological environment in order to study the release of the peptide. The photolysis process was monitored by HPLC with UV detection and 1H NMR, with collection of kinetic data.Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (FCT

Lessons From the Pandemic: Engaging Wicked Problems With Transdisciplinary Deliberation

Some crises, such as those brought on or exposed by the COVID-19 pandemic, are wicked problems—large, complex problems with no immediate answer. As such, they make rich centerpieces for learning with respect to public deliberation and issue-based dialogue. This essay reflects on an experimental, transdisciplinary health and science communication course entitled Comprehending COVID-19. The course represents a collaborative effort among 14 faculty representing 10 different academic departments to create a resource for teaching students how to deliberate the pandemic, despite its attending, oversaturated, fake-news-infused, infodemic. We offer transdisciplinary deliberation as a pedagogical framework to expand communication repertoires in ways useful for sifting through the messiness of an infodemic while also developing key deliberation skills for productively engaging participatory decision-making with concern to wicked problems

How and when is self-efficacy related to entrepreneurial intentions: exploring the role of entrepreneurial outcome expectations and subjective norms

This study investigates how and when general self-efficacy is related to entrepreneurial intentions. We propose that entrepreneurial outcome expectations function as a mediator in this relationship, while subjective norms act as a moderator. Using a sample of 1052 students from U.S. Public Universities, we tested a moderated mediation model. Results showed that general self-efficacy is positively related to entrepreneurial intentions through the mediating effect of entrepreneurial outcome expectations, and that this relationship is significantly positive for individuals with favourable subjective norms towards entrepreneurship, while significantly negative for individuals with less favourable subjective norms. These findings contribute to literatures on entrepreneurial intentions