Going green and sustainable : The influence of green HR practices on the organizational rationale for sustainability

Organizations that go green need their employees to perceive that sustainability is a priority in order to increase pro-sustainability behavior. Several factors can influence how employees perceive their organization’s com- mitment to sustainability; however, no research has yet explored how green human resource management can influence that perception. This study thus examines the role of green hiring, green training, and green com- pensation, along with age and gender, in sustaining the organizational rationale for sustainability (ORS). Results from a sample of 275 Portuguese employees, analysed through the fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA), shows that perceived ORS is mainly grounded in green hiring, and to a lesser extent, in green training. Green hiring is especially important for older employees, whereas younger employees require green training. Green compensation is surprisingly irrelevant. The study is useful for researchers and practitioners who seek to understand employees’ perception about the value and priority their organizations give to sustainability.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Modeling the inactivation of Bacillus subtilis spores by ethylene oxide processing

Ethylene oxide is currently a dominant agent in medical device sterilization. This work intends to study the main effects and interactions of temperature, ethylene oxide concentration, and relative humidity on commercial spore strips of Bacillus subtilis, var. niger (ATCC 9372) inactivation, the most common microorganism used in controlling the efficacy of the process. Experiments were carried out using a full factorial experimental design at two levels (2(3) factorial design). Limit target exposure conditions for ethylene oxide concentration, temperature, and relative humidity were 250-1,000 mg EO/l, 40-60A degrees C, and 50-90%, respectively. Adopting a different approach from the first-order kinetics, a Gompertz model was successfully applied in data fitting of the inactivation curves. Bacillus subtilis kinetic behavior presented a sigmoidal inactivation with an initial shoulder (lambda), followed by a maximum inactivation rate (k(max)), these being model parameters. It was concluded that temperature and ethylene oxide concentration were the most significant factors and consequently, additional experiments were carried out aiming at describing the parameters' dependence on these process factors. Mathematical relations describing such dependences were successfully developed and included in the Gompertz kinetic model. The predictive ability of this integrated model was assessed, and its adequacy in predicting B. subtilis inactivation was proven.info:eu-repo/semantics/acceptedVersio

Ethylene oxide sterilization of medical devices: a review

Ethylene oxide (EO) is a well-known sterilizing agent. However, only recently has its use significantly emerged, based on its range of applications in the field of new medical device development and sterilization. This paper describes the progress in terms of EO sterilization and concludes that it remains a promising field to explore and develop. The EO action mechanism and toxicity are analyzed, and a critical analysis is made on how it is possible to use EO sterilization for medical devices advantageously, with emphasis on cycle design and validation. One huge challenge is related with the development of mathematical models to integrate lethality to allow a continuous increase of process flexibility, without compromising its safety. The scientific community should also focus on other important issues, such as EO diffusion in different substrates, taking into account different environmental conditions both for sterilization and aeration

The structural properties of odorants modulate their association to human odorant binding protein

The binding of known odorant molecules to the human odorant-binding protein (hOBP) was evaluated in silico. Docking experiments elucidate the preferable binding site and binding affinity of odorant molecules to hOBP. The physicochemical properties molecular weight (MW), vapor pressure (Vp), hydrophobicity level (logP), number of double bonds (NºDB), degree of unsaturation (DoU) and the chemical classification, were selected for the study of odorant modulation. Here, these properties were analyzed concerning 30 pleasant and 30 unpleasant odorants, chosen to represent a wide variety of compounds and to determine their influence on the binding energy to hOBP. Our findings indicate that MW, logP and Vp are the most important odorant variables, directly correlated to odorant-binding energies (DGbinding) towards hOBP. Understanding how the odorants behave when complexed with the OBP in human olfaction opens new possibilities for the development of future biotechnological applications, including sensory devices, medical diagnosis, among others.The following funding is acknowledged: the authors thank the support received from the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT) through the strategic funding of UID/BIO/04469/2019 unit and BioTecNorte Operation (NORTE-01-0145-FEDER-000004) funded by the European Regional Development Fund under the scope of Norte2020 - Programa Operacional Regional do Norte.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

A filter algorithm : comparison with NLP solvers

Versão não definitiva do artigoThe purpose of this work is to present an algorithm to solve nonlinear constrained optimization problems, using the filter method with the inexact restoration (IR) approach. In the IR approach two independent phases are performed in each iteration—the feasibility and the optimality phases. The first one directs the iterative process into the feasible region, i.e. finds one point with less constraints violation. The optimality phase starts from this point and its goal is to optimize the objective function into the satisfied constraints space. To evaluate the solution approximations in each iteration a scheme based on the filter method is used in both phases of the algorithm. This method replaces the merit functions that are based on penalty schemes, avoiding the related difficulties such as the penalty parameter estimation and the non-differentiability of some of them. The filter method is implemented in the context of the line search globalization technique. A set of more than two hundred AMPL test problems is solved. The algorithm developed is compared with LOQO and NPSOL software packages.Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (FCT

Letter to the editor

info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

South Portugal population genetic analysis with 17 loci STRs

Trabalho apresentado sob a forma de poster no ISFG 21st international CongressSTRs are the standard genetic markers mainly used in forensic cases. In routine casework it is important to establish a population genetic database for further reliable statistical analyses. AmpF1STRIdentifiler (Applied Biosystems) and Geneprint Powerplex 16 (Promega Corporation, Madison WI, USA) are multiplex kits wich co-amplifie 17 STR - loci including the segment of X-Y homologous gene Amelogenina routinely used in our laboratory. 13 core short tandem repeat loci standardized under the combined DNA Index System (Codis): CSF1PO, D3S1358, D5S818, D13S317, D16S539, D18S51, D21S11, vWA, FGA, TH01, TPOX, two additional tetranucleotide loci - D2S1338 and D19S433 – and two additional pentanucleotides – Penta E and Penta D. The purpose of this study is to determine the allele distribution data of the 17 STR loci in 2445 caucasian unrelated individuals from the south of Portugal, 176 unrelated individuals from Cabo Verde and 102 unrelated individuals from Angola and compare it with the values of the all the population resident in the same area. Allele frequencies for each locus observed heterozygosity, expected heterozygosity, power of exclusion, power of discrimination, and p values of chi-square test for departures from Hardy-Weinberg expectations were calculated.N/