Contributions of the PMBok to the Project Management of an ERP System Implementation

The implementation of Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) Systems has become generalized in companies and organizations, as a way to achieve the supply chain integration, to improve productivity and gain competitive advantages. Those implementations, more than simple technology projects, have revealed to be complex and time consuming business projects due to the structural and behaviour changes involved. This article analyzes, through the Project Coordinator’s point of view, two real cases of ERP implementation projects at Ibico Portuguesa, comparing the project management methodology adopted by Ibico with the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBoK), coming to the conclusion that the use of the PMBoK norms and best practices by the Project Manager could have been a success factor in those implementations, particularly referring to the elements that have been pointed as the most critical: planning, involvement and commitment of top management as well as stakeholders’ management.The implementation of Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) Systems has become generalized in companies and organizations, as a way to achieve the supply chain integration, to improve productivity and gain competitive advantages. Those implementations, more than simple technology projects, have revealed to be complex and time consuming business projects due to the structural and behaviour changes involved. This article analyzes, through the Project Coordinator’s point of view, two real cases of ERP implementation projects at Ibico Portuguesa, comparing the project management methodology adopted by Ibico with the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBoK), coming to the conclusion that the use of the PMBoK norms and best practices by the Project Manager could have been a success factor in those implementations, particularly referring to the elements that have been pointed as the most critical: planning, involvement and commitment of top management as well as stakeholders’ management.DOI:10.5585/gep.v4i2.3

Enhanced performance of cobalt ferrite encapsulated in graphitic shell by means of AC magnetically activated catalytic wet peroxide oxidation of 4-nitrophenol

Here we report preliminary catalytic wet peroxide oxidation (CWPO) experiments performed in the presence of an alternating current (AC) magnetic field. One ferromagnetic graphitic nanocomposite – composed by a cobalt ferrite core and a graphitic shell (CoFe2O4/MGNC), was employed in the process, here named magnetically activated catalytic wet peroxide oxidation (MA-CWPO). An aqueous solution containing 5.0 g L−1 of 4-nitrophenol (4-NP) to simulate a high strength polluted stream was used as model system. The experiments were performed at room temperature and atmospheric pressure, with stoichiometric amount of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), pH=3 and CoFe2O4/MGNC catalyst load=5.0 g L−1 (corresponding to a 4-NP/CoFe2O4 mass ratio of 6.9, as CoFe2O4 accounts for 14.4 wt% of CoFe2O4/MGNC). It was shown that the performance of CWPO is enhanced upon application of an AC magnetic field (frequency of 533.9 kHz and magnitude of 240 G). As a result, high 4-NP mineralization was obtained by MA-CWPO (as reflected by a total organic carbon abatement of 79% after 4 h of reaction, instead of 39% in the absence of a magnetic field). This positive effect was ascribed to the localised increase of CoFe2O4/MGNC surface temperature resulting from heat release upon exposure of the nanoparticulated catalyst to an AC magnetic field, which accelerates the catalytic decomposition of H2O2 via hydroxyl radicals (HO%) formation.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

A dynamic field approach to goal inference, error detection and anticipatory action selection in human-robot collaboration

In this chapter we present results of our ongoing research on efficient and fluent human-robot collaboration that is heavily inspired by recent experimental findings about the neurocognitive mechanisms supporting joint action in humans. The robot control architecture implements the joint coordination of actions and goals as a dynamic process that integrates contextual cues, shared task knowledge and the predicted outcome of the user's motor behavior. The architecture is formalized as a coupled system of dynamic neural fields representing a distributed network of local but connected neural populations with specific functionalities. We validate the approach in a task in which a robot and a human user jointly construct a toy 'vehicle'. We show that the context-dependent mapping from action observation onto appropriate complementary actions allows the robot to cope with dynamically changing joint action situations. More specifically, the results illustrate crucial cognitive capacities for efficient and successful human-robot collaboration such as goal inference, error detection and anticipatory action selection.FCT grants POCI/V.5/A0119/2005 and CONC-REEQ/17/2001 / fp6-IST2 EU-IP Project JAST (proj. nr. 003747

Enhanced performance of cobalt ferrite encapsulated in graphitic shell by means of AC magnetically activated catalytic wet peroxide oxidation of 4-nitrophenol

Here we report preliminary catalytic wet peroxide oxidation (CWPO) experiments performed in the presence of an alternating current (AC) magnetic field. One ferromagnetic graphitic nanocomposite - composed by a cobalt ferrite core and a graphitic shell (CoFe2O4/MGNC), was employed in the process, here named magnetically activated catalytic wet peroxide oxidation (MA-CWPO). An aqueous solution containing 5.0 g L-1 of 4-nitrophenol (4-NP) to simulate a high strength polluted stream was used as model system. The experiments were performed at room temperature and atmospheric pressure, with stoichiometric amount of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), pH = 3 and CoFe2O4/MGNC catalyst load = 5.0 g L-1 (corresponding to a 4-NP/CoFe2O4 mass ratio of 6.9, as CoFe2O4 accounts for 14.4 wt% of CoFe2O4/MGNC). It was shown that the performance of CWPO is enhanced upon application of an AC magnetic field (frequency of 533.9 kHz and magnitude of 240 G). As a result, high 4-NP mineralization was obtained by MA-CWPO (as reflected by a total organic carbon abatement of 79% after 4 h of reaction, instead of 39% in the absence of a magnetic field). This positive effect was ascribed to the localised increase of CoFe2O4/MGNC surface temperature resulting from heat release upon exposure of the nanoparticulated catalyst to an AC magnetic field, which accelerates the catalytic decomposition of H2O2 via hydroxyl radicals (HO center dot) formation

Haemocompatibility of iron oxide nanoparticles synthesized for theranostic applications: a high-sensitivity microfluidic tool

The poor heating efficiency of the most reported magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs), allied to the lack of comprehensive biocompatibility and haemodynamic studies, hampers the spread of multifunctional nanoparticles as the next generation of therapeutic bio-agents in medicine. The present work reports the synthesis and characterization, with special focus on biological/toxicological compatibility, of superparamagnetic nanoparticles with diameter around 18 nm, suitable for theranostic applications (i.e. simultaneous diagnosis and therapy of cancer). Envisioning more insights into the complex nanoparticle-red blood cells (RBCs) membrane interaction, the deformability of the human RBCs in contact with magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) was assessed for the first time with a microfluidic extensional approach, and used as an indicator of haematological disorders in comparison with a conventional haematological test, i.e. the haemolysis analysis. Microfluidic results highlight the potential of this microfluidic tool over traditional haemolysis analysis, by detecting small increments in the rigidity of the blood cells, when traditional haemotoxicology analysis showed no significant alteration (haemolysis rates lower than 2 %). The detected rigidity has been predicted to be due to the wrapping of small MNPs by the bilayer membrane of the RBCs, which is directly related to MNPs size, shape and composition. The proposed microfluidic tool adds a new dimension into the field of nanomedicine, allowing to be applied as a highsensitivity technique capable of bringing a better understanding of the biological impact of nanoparticles developed for clinical applications.This work was financially supported by: Project POCI-01-0145-FEDER-006984 – Associate Laboratory J Nanopart Res (2016) 18:194 Page 15 of 17 194 123 LSRE-LCM funded by FEDER funds through COMPETE2020 - Programa Operacional Competitividade e Internacionalizac¸a˜o (POCI) – and by national funds through FCT - Fundac¸a˜o para a Cieˆncia e a Tecnologia. R.O.R. acknowledges the Ph.D. scholarship SFRH/BD/97658/2013 Granted by FCT. A.M.T.S acknowledges the FCT Investigator 2013 Programme (IF/01501/ 2013), with financing from the European Social Fund and the Human Potential Operational Programme. M.B. would like to thank ERDF (European Regional Development Fund) under grant PO Norte CCDR-N/ON.2 Programme. J.G. also thanks the European Union’s Seventh Framework Programme for research, technological development and demonstration under grant agreement no. 600375.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

40 anos de finanças locais democráticas: o balanço possível

A reflexão empreendida a partir da análise atenta e objetiva da realidade financeira local permite concluir no sentido de um balanço globalmente positivo de 40 anos do exercício de poder local democrático, sem prejuízo de individualizar um conjunto de linhas argumentativas de sentido crítico, que impelem a uma reflexão sobre alguns aspetos que poderão ter corrido menos bem e que, por tal motivo, poderão ser melhorados e aperfeiçoados.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Promover o desenvolvimento sustentável do território pela inovação agrícola. Desafios da agricultura biológica no Vale do Lis, Portugal

O desenvolvimento sustentável do território rural está relacionado com as condições socioeconómicas da agricultura e da preservação do ambiente e em estreita ligação com as tecnologias aplicadas. Os sistemas de produção agrícola convencionais podem revelar insuficiente competitividade devido à escala produtiva, o que resulta da menor dimensão das explorações ou da redução do preço dos produtos por constrangimentos na comercialização.Uma forma de resolver este problema é a adoção em modo de Produção Integrada ou Produção Biológica de produtos mais valorizados no mercado através da utilização de tecnologias de maior intensificação da mão-de-obra, melhor adaptabilidade a estruturas microfundiárias e com acrescido potencial de conservação dos recursos naturais e biodiversidade. Estas soluções vão ao encontro da Estratégia Nacional para a Agricultura Biológica e do Plano de Ação para a Produção e Promoção de Produtos Biológicos, bem como da Estratégia Nacional para as Compras Públicas Ecológicas 2020. A mudança de modo produtivo assume-se como um grande desafio, pois exige inovação tecnológica, novos conhecimentos na gestão agrícola e exigências especiais na relação com o mercado.Esta comunicação avalia a dimensão deste desafio em termos da motivação dos agricultores, das condições tecnológicas e gestão das empresas e da perceção de risco económico, num estudo aplicado ao Aproveitamento Hidroagrícola do Vale do Lis (AHVL), localizado no Centro Litoral de Portugal, com cerca de 2000 ha.Os objetivos específicos deste estudo compreendem: i) caracterização da agricultura do AHVL nas dimensões demográfica, social e económica; ii) identificação das tecnologias de inovação agrícola de produção integrada e agricultura biológica, incluindo os tipos de cultura; iii) avaliação da propensão dos agricultores para a mudança do modo produtivo; iv) identificação das principais dificuldades para efetivação da mudança e v) estabelecimento de um plano de ação para apoio aos agricultores, incluindo divulgação, formação, certificação e comercialização. A metodologia aplicada baseou-se num inquérito aos agricultores, através de amostragem representativa das várias classes de dimensão das explorações.Algumas das questões colocadas foram: i) modo de produção atual; ii) disponibilidade para adotar agricultura biológica e iii) principais medidas de apoio necessárias.Os resultados obtidos apontam para diversas dificuldades na reconversão dos modos produtivos, sendo de salientar a incerteza quanto ao acréscimo de custo dos fatores de produção sobre o rendimento económico, a insuficiência de conhecimento técnico sobre as novas tecnologias e a falta de garantias de escoamento dos produtos. Realça-se ainda a grande recetividade em aprofundar conhecimentos para fundamentar tomadas de decisão, através de ações de divulgação ou na participação em ações do tipo demonstrativo. Serão apresentadas as linhas gerais de um plano de ação para apoio aos agricultores, como corolário do estudo desenvolvido

Intrinsically bioactive cryogels based on platelet lysate nanocomposites for hemostasis applications.

The currently used hemostatic agents are highly effective in stopping hemorrhages but have a limited role in the modulation of the wound-healing environment. Herein, we propose an intrinsically bioactive hemostatic cryogel based on platelet lysate (PL) and aldehyde-functionalized cellulose nanocrystals (a-CNCs). PL has attracted great attention as an inexpensive milieu of therapeutically relevant proteins; however, its application as a hemostatic agent exhibits serious constraints (e.g., structural integrity and short shelf-life). The incorporation of a-CNCs reinforced the low-strength PL matrix by covalent cross-linking its amine groups that exhibit an elastic interconnected porous network after full cryogelation. Upon blood immersion, the PL-CNC cryogels absorbed higher volumes of blood at a faster rate than commercial hemostatic porcine gelatin sponges. Simultaneously, the cryogels released biomolecules that increased stem cell proliferation, metabolic activity, and migration as well as downregulated the expression of markers of the fibrinolytic process. In an in vivo liver defect model, PL-CNC cryogels showed similar hemostatic performance in comparison with gelatin sponges and normal material-induced tissue response upon subcutaneous implantation. Overall, owing to their structure and bioactive composition, the proposed PL-CNC cryogels provide an alternative off-the-shelf hemostatic and antibacterial biomaterial with the potential to deliver therapeutically relevant proteins in situ.The authors thank Hospital da Prelada (Porto, Portugal) for providing adipose tissue samples and Instituto Portugues do Sangue e Transplantacio-IPST (Portugal) (Porto, Portugal) for providing platelet concentrates. The authors would like to thank Alain Morais and Isabel Pires for their support in the in vivo procedure and histological evaluation, respectively. The authors would like to thank the anonymous reviewers for all useful and helpful comments on our manuscript. This work was supported by the European Research Council grant agreement no. 772817, FCT/MCTES (Fundacio para a Ciencia e a Tecnologia/Ministerio da Ciencia, Tecnologia, e Ensino Superior) and the Fundo Social Europeu atraves do Programa Operacional do Capital Humano (FSE/POCH) in the framework of Ph.D. grant PD/59/2013-PD/BD/113807/2015 (BBM) and CEECIND/01375/2017 (MGF), Norwegian Research Council for project no. 287953

The Impact of Oxidoreductases-Related MicroRNAs in Glucose Metabolism of Renal Cell Carcinoma and Prostate Cancer

The reprogramming of metabolism is one of cancer hallmarks. Glucose’s metabolism, as one of the main fuels of cancer cells, has been the focus of several research studies in the oncology field. However, because cancer is a heterogeneous disease, the disruptions in glucose metabolism are highly variable depending of the cancer. In fact, Renal Cell Carcinoma (RCC) and Prostate Cancer (PCa), the most lethal and common urological neoplasia, respectively, show different disruptions in the main pathways of glucose catabolism: glycolysis, lactate fermentation and Krebs Cycle. Oxidoreductases are a class of enzymes that catalyze electrons transfer from one molecule to another and are present in these three pathways, posing as an opportunity to better understand these catabolic deregulations. Furthermore, nowadays it is recognized that their expression is modulated by microRNAs (miRNAs), in this book chapter, we selected the known miRNAs that directly target these oxidoreductases and analyzed their deregulation in both cancers. The characterization of these miRNAs opens a new door that could be applied in patients’ stratification and therapy monitorization because of their potential as cancer biomarkers. Additionally, their delivery to cancer cells, using glucose capped NPs could help establish new therapeutic strategies that would improve RCC and PCa management

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