ActualSales Portugal : the internationalization process and foreign market selection

The online performance marketing industry (OPM) has been consistently growing double digits for the past 5 years, reflecting the market’s adjustments to a reality where economic challenges predominate and consequently push companies to demand greater evidence of return on investment. Online lead generation, a sub-segment of OPM, is defined as the processof generation and delivery of leads, i.e. prospects interested on a certain product or service. ActualSales is a multinational Portuguese company that operates in the online lead generation industry,currently facing the industry’s paradigm of rapid growth and increasing competition. Henrique Agostinho, managing partner, was responsible indefining the next steps for the company’s internationalization strategy and adaptation to the recent and fast-growing industry, by creating a new subsidiary whether in Argentina or Colombia. Recent contract opportunities in both Latin American countries made the two eligible for consideration; however, the company did not possess enough human resources to tackle both geographies. Consequently, only one country could be chosen. In this case, students are presented with real life events related to industry and strategy definition, more specificallythe internationalization process and foreign market selection of ActualSales.A indústria de online performance marketing (OPM) tem vindo a crescer consistentementedois dígitos ao longo dos últimos cinco anos, refletindo o ajustamento do mercado a uma realidade onde os desafios económicos predominam e forçaa que as empresas exijam cada vez mais evidências do retorno do investimento. O online lead generation é um subsegmento da indústria OPM, e define-se como sendo o processo de criação e entrega de leads. A ActualSales é uma empresa multinacional Portuguesa que opera na indústria de lead generation e que atualmente compete numa indústria em rápido crescimento e com cada vez mais competidores. Henrique Agostinho, managing partner, é o responsável pela definição da estratégia de internacionalização da empresa para a América Latina, acompanhando assim o rápido crescimento da indústria nestes países. Novas oportunidades contratuais nos países da Argentina e Colômbia, tornaram possível a implementação de uma nova subsidiária. No entanto, a falta de recursos humanos suscetíveis à expatriação, força a que apenas um dos países seja eleito. Este case study expõe eventos reais, permitindo ao leitor uma representação daquilo que são os desafios relacionados com a definição de uma estratégia de internacionalização, assim como o processo de seleção de mercados internacionais

Sound wave phase processing for precise positioning

Tese de mestrado. Métodos computacionais em Ciências e Engenharia. Faculdade de Engenharia. Universidade do Porto. 200

Crystallographic studies of proteins involved in the mRNA localization mechanisms in Drosophila melanogaster and amidation of the peptidoglycan residues in Staphylococcus aureus

Part of the work described in this chapter, was the subject of the following publication: D. Vieira, T. a. Figueiredo, A. Verma, R. G. Sobral, A. M. Ludovice, H. de Lencastre, and J. Trincao, “Purification, crystallization and preliminary X-ray diffraction analysis of GatD, a glutamine amidotransferase-like protein from Staphylococcus aureus peptidoglycan,” Acta Crystallogr. Sect. F Struct. Biol. Commun., vol. 70, no. 5, pp. 1–4, Apr. 2014.Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (FCT) - Bolsa de Doutoramento individual SFRH/BD/62415/2009, e projecto PTDC/BIA-PRO/80486/200

Effects of post-anthesis heat waves on the grain quality of seven european wheat varieties

Wheat is undoubtedly one of the most important crops worldwide and it is essential to study how the distinct varieties answer to heat waves associated with climatic changes, in order to design adequate wheat breeding strategies. To assess high temperature (HT) impact in wheat grain characteristics, seven commercial varieties, which have been recommended for production in Portugal, were submitted for one‐week HT treatment ten days after anthesis. Firstly, predicted grain technological quality was determined by giving high scores for all varieties studied, based on the allelic compositions of genes encoding high molecular weight glutenins, granule‐bound starch synthase and puroindolines. The effects of HT on transcription levels of those genes were, for the first time, evaluated in distinct wheat genotypes, in comparison with control plants. Finally, protein fraction content in mature grains were also estimated in untreated and treated plants. Immature grains from plants, maintained in control conditions, showed significant intervarietal differences in transcription levels of genes associated with grain quality traits, a variability that was significantly reduced in grains from HT treated plants. On the other hand, the influence of HT in mature grain protein‐fractions and in gliadin/glutenin ratios revealed intervarietal diversity, even with opposite effects in some varieties. The present study, therefore, discloses marked variability in parameters associated with flour quality between the wheat varieties analyzed, which are differentially affected by HT treatments, similar to heat waves frequently observed in climate change scenariosinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Grain transcriptome dynamics induced by heat in commercial and traditional bread wheat genotypes

Original ResearchHigh temperature (HT) events have negative impact on wheat grains yield and quality. Transcriptome profiles of wheat developing grains of commercial genotypes (Antequera and Bancal) and landraces (Ardito and Magueija) submitted to heatwavelike treatments during grain filling were evaluated. Landraces showed significantly more differentially expressed genes (DEGs) and presented more similar responses than commercial genotypes. DEGs were more associated with transcription and RNA and protein synthesis in Antequera and with metabolism alterations in Bancal and landraces. Landraces upregulated genes encoding proteins already described as HT responsive, like heat shock proteins and cupins. Apart from the genes encoding HSP, two other genes were upregulated in all genotypes, one encoding for Adenylate kinase, essential for the cellular homeostasis, and the other for ferritin, recently related with increased tolerance to several abiotic stress in Arabidopsis. Moreover, a NAC transcription factor involved in plant development, known to be a negative regulator of starch synthesis and grain yield, was found to be upregulated in both commercial varieties and downregulated in Magueija landrace. The detected diversity of molecular processes involved in heat response of commercial and traditional genotypes contribute to understand the importance of genetic diversity and relevant pathways to cope with these extreme eventsinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Contributo para a avaliação dos serviços dos ecossistemas: Avaliação do fluxo potencial de material lenhoso e carbono acumulado na região do PROF Centro Litoral

O presente relatório diz respeito à dissertação para conclusão do Mestrado em Recursos Florestais (MRF) da Escola Superior Agrária de Coimbra (ESAC).O foco desta dissertação centrou-se no estudo dos serviços de produção de material lenhoso e sequestro de carbono nos espaços florestais da região do PROF Centro Litoral entre 1995 e 2018. Os serviços dos ecossistemas têm vindo a receber atenção crescente por parte dos meios científico e político, uma vez que se encontram hoje em profunda ameaça. São definidos como sendo os benefícios que as pessoas obtêm dos ecossistemas e que podem incluir bens materiais e/ou serviços imateriais. São bastante interdependentes e podem-se sobrepor muitas das vezes e genericamente são divididos em quatro categorias: produção, regulação, suporte e culturais.Neste contexto, esta dissertação pretendeu estudar a composição e estrutura da paisagem em 1995 e 2018 e, calcular o fluxo potencial de material lenhoso e carbono e também o stock de material lenhoso e stock de carbono. Este estudo permitiu concluir que entre 1995 e 2018 existiram alterações importantes no padrão da paisagem, e por consequência, valores diferentes nos serviços prestados pelos ecossistemas.As principais alterações a registar na ocupação do solo no período em estudo foram a diminuição da área agrícola e o aumento da área florestal e de matos. Dentro da área florestal, destaca-se o grande aumento do eucalipto e a grande redução da área pinheiro-bravo. Quanto aos serviços dos ecossistemas, os fluxos potenciais de material lenhoso e de carbono aumentaram, uma vez que a área florestal aumentou. Já os stocks de material lenhoso e de carbono diminuíram, pois, apesar da área florestal ter aumentado, a área de pinheiro-bravo teve uma grande redução, bem como o seu volume médio em pé.Esta dissertação aponta para a importância das áreas florestais no contexto dos serviços dos ecossistemas, pois para além dos produtos mais imediatos que produzem, nomeadamente, a madeira, também contribuem para a regulação climática, a preservação do solo e da água e outros serviços de suporte.The present document concerns the dissertation for the conclusion of the Master's in Forestry Resources (MRF) of the Coimbra Agriculture School (ESAC).The focus of this research was centred on the study of the production services of woody material and carbon sequestration in forest spaces in the PROF Centro Litoral region between 1995 and 2018. Ecosystem services have been receiving increasing attention from scientific and political circles, since are now under serious threat. They are defined as the benefits people derive from ecosystems and which may include goods and/or intangible services. They are quite interdependent and can overlap many times and are generally divided into four categories: production, regulation, support and cultural.In this context, this dissertation intended to study of the composition and structure of landscape in 1995 and 2018 and, to calculate, the woody material flux and carbon flux and the woody material stock and carbon stock. This study allowed to conclude that between 1995 and 2018 there were important changes in the landscape pattern, and consequently, different values in the services provided by ecosystems.The main changes to be registered in land use during the period under study were the decrease in agricultural area and the increase in forest area. Within forest area, the massive raise in number of eucalyptus and the great reduction of pinaster land. Concerning ecosystem services, woody material and carbon fluxes increased as forest area increased. In addition, the stocks of woody material and carbon decreased, because, despite the forest area having increased, the maritime pine area had a great decrease, as well as its average volume standing.This dissertation points the matter of forest areas in context of ecosystem services, as in addition to the more immediate products they produce, such as wood, they also contribute to climate regulation, soil and water preservation and other support services

Involvement of disperse repetitive sequences in wheat/rye genome adjustment

The union of different genomes in the same nucleus frequently results in hybrid genotypes with improved genome plasticity related to both genome remodeling events and changes in gene expression. Most modern cereal crops are polyploid species. Triticale, synthesized by the cross between wheat and rye, constitutes an excellent model to study polyploidization functional implications. We intend to attain a deeper knowledge of dispersed repetitive sequence involvement in parental genome reshuffle in triticale and in wheat-rye addition lines that have the entire wheat genome plus each rye chromosome pair. Through Random Amplified Polymorphic DNA (RAPD) analysis with OPH20 10-mer primer we unraveled clear alterations corresponding to the loss of specific bands from both parental genomes. Moreover, the sequential nature of those events was revealed by the increased absence of rye-origin bands in wheat-rye addition lines in comparison with triticale. Remodeled band sequencing revealed that both repetitive and coding genome domains are affected in wheat-rye hybrid genotypes. Additionally, the amplification and sequencing of pSc20H internal segments showed that the disappearance of parental bands may result from restricted sequence alterations and unraveled the involvement of wheat/rye related repetitive sequences in genome adjustment needed for hybrid plant stabilizatio

Assessment of high temperature effects on grain yield and composition in bread wheat commercial varieties

Wheat is one of the most important cereals for food and feed, and it is, therefore, necessary to determine the e ects of short-term high temperature events (heatwaves) during grain filling. These heatwave events are increasingly common, especially in Portugal. In this work, seven commercial varieties recommended for production in Portugal were submitted to one-week high temperature (HT) treatment ten days after anthesis to evaluate heat e ects on grain yield and quality. Grain yield parameters, such as grain number and weight, were evaluated as well as grain composition through attenuated total reflection Fourier transform infrared (ATR-FTIR) spectroscopy. Variation in HT response between varieties was detected. Grain number and weight tended to decrease in most varieties analyzed. However, two varieties proved to be more resilient since grain number and weight remain unaltered in the Bancal variety, which is the one with better yield results, and even increased in the Pata Negra variety. Regarding grain composition, the comparison between ATR-FTIR spectra of milled grains from control and HT plants revealed alterations in peaks assigned to polysaccharides and proteins. Additionally, a model was built based on nitrogen elemental analysis to predict protein content in flour samples through spectral data that corroborated the di erences identified by spectra profile comparison. Moreover, both analyses showed that the intervarietal diversity observed in control conditions was significantly reduced in HT treated plants. The results obtained highlight the intervarietal diversity of wheat response to HT, regarding grain yield parameters, grain composition, and particularly, protein contentinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Mulheres idosas e atividade física: nunca é tarde

Com o desenvolvimento do envelhecimento, evidências científicas dizem-nos que as diminuições das capacidades físicas são visíveis, aumentando o risco de inatividade física nas idades mais avançadas. A preocupação da sociedade em promover a AF de forma regular mesmo após os 65 anos torna-se um ponto de desafio naquilo que se designa por Envelhecimento Ativo. O fundamento da investigação reside nas razões e significados para a integração da AF nos estilos de vida de mulheres idosas num momento tardio das suas vidas. O nosso estudo baseou-se num grupo de 19 mulheres idosas, com mais de 65 anos, que praticam variados tipos de Atividade Física de forma regular e contínua, que se iniciou na vida destas mulheres apenas após os seus 60/65 anos. Trata-se de uma pesquisa de natureza qualitativa. O instrumento utilizado nesta investigação foi a entrevista individual semiestruturada. Os dados foram submetidos à análise de conteúdo (Bardin, 2009), numa base dimensional, tendo como ponto principal a procura por situações fora do comum/particularidades. Os principais resultados deste estudo mostram-nos que o facto de estas idosas terem começado a prática de AF após os 60 anos, vem associado a razões de caráter muito subjetivo e ao contexto de vida das mesmas. Podemos inferir assim do nosso estudo, que apesar da vinculação tardia à prática, as mudanças estarão sempre presentes e acontecerão independentemente da faixa etária em que se inicie a prática de AF.With the development of aging, scientific evidence tells us that decreases in physical capacities are visible, increasing the risk of physical inactivity at more advanced ages. Society's concern to promote PA on a regular basis even after the age of 65 becomes a challenge in what is called Active Aging. The foundation of the investigation lies in the reasons and meanings for the integration of PA in the lifestyles of elderly women at a late point in their lives. Our study was based on a group of 19 elderly women, over 65 years old, who practice various types of Physical Activity on a regular and continuous basis, which began in the lives of these women only after their 60/65 years. This is qualitative research. The instrument used in this investigation was the semi-structured individual interview. The data were subjected to content analysis (Bardin, 2009), on a dimensional basis, with the main point being the search for unusual situations/particularities. The main results of this study show us that the fact that these elderly women started to practice PA after the age of 60 is associated with reasons of subjectivity and their life context. Thus, we can infer from our study that, despite the late link to practice, changes will always be present and will happen regardless of the age group in which the practice of PA begins.Mestrado em Gerontologia Aplicad

A área das ciências como impulsionadora de capacidades investigativas e novas aprendizagens para as crianças

Relatório de Estágio apresentado à Escola Superior de Educação de Lisboa para obtenção de grau de mestre em Educação Pré-EscolarO presente documento consiste na elaboração de um relatório no âmbito da Prática Profissional Supervisionada Módulo II que decorreu num período de quinze semanas num contexto de Jardim de Infância. O relatório em questão visa apresentar de forma reflexiva e fundamentada todo o trabalho e percurso desenvolvido no decorrer da prática educativa, nomeadamente, caracterizar o meio e o contexto socioeducativo, descrever o processo de planeamento, ação e de avaliação da intervenção e ainda, abordar uma problemática emergente no contexto submetida a um processo de investigação. Do ponto de vista metodológico, optou-se por uma abordagem qualitativa no sentido de recolher dados empíricos e realizou-se uma investigação-ação com o objetivo de perceber se a implementação de uma nova área na sala, dedicada às ciências, seria uma forte impulsionadora das capacidades investigativas e de novas aprendizagens para as crianças, tendo em conta a interação e o contacto das crianças com novas atividades de ciências e com novos materiais estimuladores. Esta foi a problemática submetida ao trabalho de investigação. Ao longo deste relatório serão ainda, demonstrados os processos, intervenções e resultados a respeito da problemática estudada. Como resultados desta investigação verifica-se que houve um maior contacto com as ciências, desenvolvimento de capacidades investigativas e um aprofundamento de conhecimentos e linguagem científica. Houve também um aumento do interesse e da curiosidade para realizar novas descobertas e aprendizagens e ainda um maior contacto e interação com materiais específicos da área que promoveram às crianças novas explorações.ABSTRACT This document consists on a report regarding Supervised Professional Practice Module II which took place over a period of fifteen weeks in a Kindergarten context. The report aims to present in a reflective and grounded manner of all the work and course developed during the educational practice, namely, to characterize the environment and the socio-educational context, to describe the process of planning, action and evaluation of the intervention and to address a problematic in the context of a investigation process. From the methodological point of view, a qualitative approach was chosen to collect empirical data and an action research was carried out in order to understand if the implementation of a new area dedicated to the sciences in the Kindergarten room would be a strong driver to develop research skills and new learning for children, taking into account the interaction and contact of children with new sciences activities and with new stimulating materials. This was the problematic submitted to the research work. Throughout this report will also be demonstrated the processes, interventions and results regarding the problematic studied. As a result of this research it is verified that there was a greater contact with sciences, development of investigative capacities and a deepening of scientific knowledge and language. There was also an increase in interest and curiosity to make new discoveries and learning and also a greater contact and interaction with specific materials of the area that promoted new explorations carried out by the children.N/