Cerberus is a feedback inhibitor of Nodal asymmetric signaling in the chick embryo

The TGF-beta-related molecule Nodal plays an essential and conserved role in left-right patterning of the vertebrate embryo. Previous reports have shown that the zebrafish and mouse Cerberus-related proteins Charon and Cerberus-like-2 (Cerl-2), respectively, act in the node region to prevent the Nodal signal from crossing to the right side, whereas chick Cerberus (cCer) has an unclear function in the left-side mesoderm. In this study, we investigate the transcriptional regulation and function of cCer in left-right development. By analyzing the enhancer activity of cCer 5' genomic sequences in electroporated chick embryos, we identified a cCer left-side enhancer that contains two FoxH1 and one SMAD binding site. We show that these Nodal-responsive elements are necessary and sufficient for the activation of transcription in the left-side mesoderm. In transgenic mouse embryos, cCer regulatory sequences behave as in chick embryos, suggesting that the cis-regulatory sequences of Cerberus-related genes have diverged during vertebrate evolution. Moreover, our findings from cCer overexpression and knockdown experiments indicate that cCer is a negative-feedback regulator of Nodal asymmetric signaling. We propose that cCer and mouse Cerl-2 have evolved distinct regulatory mechanisms but retained a conserved function in left-right development, which is to restrict Nodal activity to the left side of the embryo.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Commoditization: a threat or an opportunity?: a case study on IBM

A Work Project, presented as part of the requirements for the Award of a Masters Degree in Management from the NOVA – School of Business and EconomicsThe purpose of this work project is to analyze the concept of commoditization in the information technology industry (IT). It is based on a case study that describes how IBM, a successful company for more than seventy years, was affected by the commoditization of the personal computer segment in the early 1990s and the strategic transformation undertook by the company to overcome this problem. Furthermore, it is also emphasized IBM’s decisions to exit commoditized segments and to shift its portfolio towards services and software, due to their major contribution in bringing the company back to its leading position in the marketplace

Novel gas sensors and electronic noses for optical, electrical and hybrid sensing: development, properties and applications

Smell is one of the most important senses of man. It is used in everyday life, influencing our behaviour. Evaluation of the quality of food and beverages or the production control in industries that require specialised personnel, are some examples of its use. The Electronic Nose mimics the human nose, through the transduction of a chemical interaction between a sensitive layer and the volatile compounds, generating a measurable signal. Conducting polymers, doped with dodecylbenzenesulfonic acid, employed in electrical gas sensors and in an electronic nose showed their applicability in monitoring the circadian emissions of fragrance by the plant Madagascar Jasmin and in the discrimination and classification of different samples of flaxseed, respectively. An innovative approach in the development of sensitive thin films based on organized liquid crystal micelles in an ionic liquid, encapsulated in a biopolymer matrix and used as sensitive layers for gas sensors, is the focus of this thesis. Liquid crystal micelles acting as sensitive elements that change reversibly their orientation in the presence of volatile compounds showed, as a proof of concept, their potential use in the classification of volatile solvents. They were also successfully tested for monitoring the quality of Tilapia fish. The combination of this optical system with the electrical system gave the so called "hybrid sensor" with dual response. Thus, a single sensor was efficient in the quantification of ethanol in gasoline. Polarized light microscopy, SEM and AFM techniques were used to study the morphology of these layers and have revealed that the formation of the micelles is closely influenced by the solvent where the liquid crystal molecules are arranged. QCM studies were conducted in order to learn more about the interaction of these films with volatile compounds, and to check the influence of parameters such as the exposure time, solvent nature, film composition and drying time, on the film. These biopolymer films were also used as immobilisation matrix for cytochrome c, forming electrochemical sensors having an additional optical response

Relationships between the perceived quality of life and the personality styles measured with the The Millon Index of Personality Styles Revised (MIPS-R)

This exploratory study aims to determine whether the personality styles measured with the Portuguese adaptation of Millon Index of Personality Styles Revised, MIPS-R affect the perceived quality of life. The MIPS-R is a theory-based inventory that measures 24 personality styles in normally functioning adults. Life satisfaction was measured with the Portuguese version of the Quality of Life Inventory, QOLI (Fagulha, Duarte & Miranda, 2000). It refers to a person’s subjective evaluation of the degree to which his/her most important needs, goals and wishes have been fulfilled. This study was carried out with a sample of 43 college students, 36 females (age mean = 19,7; SD = 3,1) and 7 males (age mean = 27,4; SD = 11,4). Based on the participants’ overall life satisfaction score three groups were defined: (1) Low/Very Low quality of life, (2) Average quality of life, (3) High quality of life. Discriminant Factor Analysis (DFA) and the Kruskal-Wallis Test were used to identify the styles that most differentiate these groups and to compare each style in the groups. The Other-Nurturing style is the one that best differentiates the groups. DFA results will be further exploited. Considering the Kruskal-Wallis Test, differences are observed in the Pleasure-Enhancing (p=.006), the Actively Modifying (p=.002), the Gregarious/Outgoing (p=.012), the Passively Accommodating (p=.027), the Asocial/Withdrawing (p=.036), the Unconventional/Dissenting (p=.041) and in the Dissatisfied/Complaining (p=.019) styles. Multiple comparisons were used to compare these styles in the groups. The authors believe that the discussion of these results will provide a better understanding of the MIPS-R.Instituto de Psicologia das Relações Humana

Signs of Trauma in an Adult Parietal Bone Exhumed from a Portuguese Prehistoric Collective Burial

A fragment of parietal bone from an adult individual of unknown sex exhumed from the collective burial of Praia da Samarra (Sintra, Portugal), dated to the end of the Neolithic, presents signs of different types of trauma. These include thinning of the skull vault and incisions marks. Differential diagnoses for these alterations are discussed: for the first one, depressed skull factures is the most likely cause. For the incisions, trepanation (more probable) and trauma due to a sharp force are proposed. These hypotheses are also discussed in terms of other similar findings from coeval Portuguese collective burials

Connect to success consulting program Portugal 4All senses: how to effectively reach the Brazilian market?

This paper attempts to assist Portugal 4all Senses, an online incoming tour agency for people with disabilities, in their effort to reach and acquire Brazilian customers. Hence, the work project centered on the “Get-Keep-Grow” framework with a particular focus on the “Get” stage. Using primary and secondary data sources our findings suggested that the online channels are the target’s preferred communication channel. Moreover, we proposed a 3-year communication plan as well as its financial plan to assess the project’s viability

Edad, empleo y prácticas de gestión de recursos humanos: un estudio en PYMEs de Portugal

Como na Europa, Portugal está a envelhecer rápida e acentuadamente com reflexos no mercado de trabalho e na Gestão de Recursos Humanos. A mundialização, competitividade e rarefação dos empregos contribuem para um mercado de trabalho seletivo. Os trabalhadores mais idosos parecem ser afetados com essa nova realidade do mercado de trabalho, caracterizando-se por fraca empregabilidade e desemprego de longa duração. Pretende-se compreender as variáveis que interferem na empregabilidade dos trabalhadores acima dos 40 anos e perceber qual é o papel das empresas e dos trabalhadores/desempregados neste processo de “empregabilidade”. Foi realizado um estudo exploratório em PME do norte de Portugal, envolvendo desempregados e diretores de recursos humanos. Analisaram-se as perceções de desempregados acima de 40 anos sobre a sua situação, os seus recursos pessoais e estratégias de resolução adotadas. Na perspetiva das empresas exploraram-se as suas perceções sobre trabalhadores acima de 40 anos e caracterizou-se a gestão destes trabalhadores.As in Europe, Portugal is aging rapidly and markedly, with implications for the labor market and human resource management. Globalization, competitiveness, and job rarefaction are contributing to a more selective employment market. Older employees seem to be more affected by this new employment market reality, characterized by weak employability and long-term unemployment. Our intent here is to understand the variables involved in the employability of employees over 40 years old, and the role of organizations and employees/unemployed in the process of “employability”. An exploratory study was conducted with SMEs in the North of Portugal, involving both unemployed individuals and human resources managers. We analyzed the perceptions of the unemployed individuals over 40 about their situation, their personal resources, and resolution strategies adopted. From the companies’ viewpoint, we explored their perceptions about workers over the age of 40 and characterized the management of these workers.Como Europa, Portugal está envejeciendo acentuadamente con reflejos en el mercado de trabajo y en la gestión de los recursos humanos. La globalización, la competitividad y el enrarecimiento de los empleos contribuyen a un mercado de trabajo selectivo. Los trabajadores de más edad son afectados por esta realidad, caracterizándose por reducida empleabilidad y por desempleo de larga duración. Con este estudio, se pretende comprender variables que interfieren en la empleabilidad de trabajadores encima de los 40 años y percibir cuál es el papel de las empresas y de los trabajadores/desempleados. Se realizó un estudio exploratorio en PME del norte de Portugal, involucrando desempleados y directores de recursos humanos. Se analizaron las percepciones de desempleados de más de 40 años sobre su situación, sus recursos personales y estrategias de tomadas de decisión. En la perspectiva de las empresas se explotan sus percepciones sobre los trabajadores por encima de 40 años y se caracterizó su gestión.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Calcific uraemic arteriolopathy - A mini-review

Calcific Uraemic Arteriolopathy (CUA) or calciphylaxis, is a thrombotic disorder of skin and subcutaneous tissue which typically presents with painful purpuric nodules that may progress to necrotic ulcers, and is a severe, life-threatening condition. CUA is an uncommon clinical entity that affects mostly haemodialysis (HD) patients. Although the process of vascular calcification was initially thought to be the result of a passive deposition of calcium-phosphate crystals, current knowledge suggests a distinct mechanism, including cellular activity with differentiation of vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) into chondrocyte as well as osteoblast-like cellular phenotypes and deficiencies in calcification inhibitors. Although multiple studies suggest a potential relationship between warfarin and CUA, larger prospective studies are needed in order to better evaluate this association, and randomised controlled trials are needed to assess the benefit of distinct interventions in this setting. In this article the topic of CUA is reviewed based on a clinical case of a 65-year-old man undergoing haemodialysis, who underwent an aortic valve replacement one year earlier, receiving a mechanical heart valve, and who has been under warfarin therapy since the

Unveiling the features of successful ebay sellers of smartphones: a data mining sales predictive model

JEL Classification guidelines (M310); (C380).EBay is one of the largest online retailing corporations worldwide, providing numerous ways for customer feedback on registered sellers. In accordance, with the advent of Web 2.0 and online shopping, an immensity of data is collected from manifold devices. This data is often unstructured, which inevitably asks for some form of further treatment that allows classification, discovery of patterns and trends or prediction of outcomes. That treatment implies the usage of increasingly complex and combined statistical tools as the size of datasets builds up. Nowadays, datasets may extend to several exabytes, which can be transformed into knowledge using adequate methods. The aim of the present study is to evaluate and analyse which and in what way seller and product attributes such as feedback ratings and price influence sales of smartphones on eBay using data mining framework and techniques. The methods used include SVM algorithms for modelling the sales of smartphones by eBay sellers combined with 10-fold cross-validation scheme which ensured model robustness and employment of metrics MAE, RAE and NMAE for the sake of gauging prediction accuracy followed by sensitivity analysis in order to assess the influence of individual features on sales. The methods were considered effective for both modelling evaluation and knowledge extraction reaching positive results although with some discrepancies between different prediction accuracy metrics. Lastly, it was discovered that the number of items in auction, average price and the variety of products available from a given seller were the most significant attributes, i.e., the largest contributors for sales.O EBay é uma das plataformas e retalho online de maior dimensão e abarca inúmeras oportunidades de extração de dados de feedback dos consumidores sobre vários vendedores. Em concordância, o advento da Web 2.0 e das compras online está fortemente associado à geração de dados em abundância e à possibilidade da sua respetiva recolha através de variados dispositivos e plataformas. Estes dados encontram-se, frequentemente, desestruturados o que inevitavelmente revela a necessidade da sua normalização e tratamento mais aprofundado de modo a possibilitar tarefas de classificação, descoberta de padrões e tendências ou de previsão. A complexidade dos métodos estatísticos aplicados para executar essas tarefas aumenta ao mesmo tempo que a dimensão das bases de dados. Atualmente, existem bases de dados que atingem vários exabytes e que se constituem como oportunidades para extração de conhecimento dado que métodos apropriados e particularizados sejam utilizados. Pretende-se, então, com o presente estudo quantificar e analisar quais e de que modo as características de vendedores e produtos influenciam as vendas de smartphones no eBay, recorrendo ao enquadramento conceptual e técnicas de mineração de dados. Os métodos utilizados incluem máquinas de vetores de suporte (SVMs) visando a modelação das vendas de smartphones por vendedores do eBay em combinação com validação cruzada 10-fold de modo a assegurar a robustez do modelo e com recurso às métricas de avaliação de desempenho erro absoluto médio (MAE), erro absoluto relativo (RAE) e erro absoluto médio normalizado (NMAE) para garantir a precisão do modelo preditivo. Seguidamente, é implementada a análise de sensibilidade para aferir a contribuição individual de cada atributo para as vendas. Os métodos são considerados eficazes tanto na avaliação do modelo como na extração de conhecimento visto que viabilizam resultados positivos ainda que sejam verificadas discrepâncias entre as estimativas para diferentes métricas de desempenho. Finalmente, foi possível descobrir que número de itens em leilão, o preço médio e a variedade de produtos disponibilizada por cada vendedor foram os atributos mais significantes, i.e., os que mais contribuíram para as vendas

ANÁLISE LONGITUDINAL DA INVESTIGAÇÃO EM CONTABILIDADE SOBRE RELATO AMBIENTAL

Este estudo pretende contribuir para uma revisão da investigação em Contabilidade sobre a temática do Relato Ambiental, através da análise longitudinal dos artigos publicados em 20 accounting top journals, entre 2006 e 2011. Foram identificados 130 artigos, tendo a maioria sido publicados nos journals Accounting, Organizations and Society (AOS), Accounting, Auditing & Accountability Journal (AAAJ), Critical Perspectives on Accounting (CPA) e Accounting Forum (AF). Do universo dos estudos identificados, foram analisados 60 artigos. Para cada artigo optamos por analisar as seguintes dimensões: os objetivos e resultados obtidos, as metodologias adotadas, a origem dos dados, os sectores de atividade e países em estudo. Os estudos procuram compreender as práticas e identificar os fatores que influenciam o relato ambiental de um determinado espaço geográfico, analisar o impacto da regulamentação sobre o relato ambiental, validar uma “teoria social”, caso das teorias da legitimidade e dos stakeholders, estudar os sistemas de contabilidade ambiental e analisar a relação entre o relato ambiental e o desempenho ambiental e económico. Constatámos que a maioria dos estudos apresenta uma abordagem longitudinal e utiliza preferencialmente como metodologias a análise de conteúdo. Os dados são recolhidos principalmente do relatório e contas mas a tendência é recorrer a uma análise conjunta dos relatórios de sustentabilidade ou ambientais, os web sites, press releases, entre outros documentos. Importa salientar que a maioria dos estudos selecionam empresas cotadas do Reino Unido, Estados Unidos e Austrália de sectores mais sensíveis a riscos ambientais, tais como: o sector químico, as petrolíferas, a indústria de celulose e papel, a metalomecânica e a indústria extrativa