Boltzmann's Concept of Reality

In this article we describe and analyze the concept of reality developed by the Austrian theoretical physicist Ludwig Boltzmann. It is our thesis that Boltzmann was fully aware that reality could, and actually was, described by different points of view. In spite of this, Boltzmann did not renounce the idea that reality is real. We also discuss his main motivations to be strongly involved with philosophy of science, as well as further developments made by Boltzmann himself of his main philosophical ideas, namely scientific theories as images of Nature and its consequences. We end the paper with a discussion about the modernity of Boltzmann's philosophy of science.Comment: 13 pages, pdf only. To appear in the book on Ludwig Boltzmann scientific philosophy, published by Nova Science. Edited by A. Eftekhar

Dogmatism and Theoretical Pluralism in Modern Cosmology

This work discusses the presence of a dogmatic tendency within modern cosmology, and some ideas capable of neutralizing its negative influence. It is verified that warnings about the dangers of dogmatic thinking in cosmology can be found as early as the 1930's, and we discuss the modern appearance of "scientific dogmatism". The solution proposed to counteract such an influence, which is capable of neutralizing this dogmatic tendency, has its origins in the philosophical thinking of the Austrian physicist Ludwig Boltzmann (1844-1906). In particular we use his two main epistemological theses, scientific theories as representations of nature and theoretical pluralism, to show that once they are embodied in the research practice of modern cosmology, there is no longer any reason for dogmatic behaviours.Comment: 14 pages; LaTeX sourc

Higher education systems and institutions, São Tomé and Príncipe

São Tomé and Príncipe, officially the Democratic Republic of São Tomé and Príncipe, is a Portuguese-speaking island nation in the Gulf of Guinea approximately 150 miles off the western African coast. An archipelago with only 1001 square km of combined land area and an estimated population around 198,000 inhabitants, it is one of the smallest countries in the world. Since its independence from Portugal in 1975, the country has evolved from a one party, socialist state to a liberal, multiparty democracy assuring ample civil liberties and political rights. In economic terms the World Bank (2017) describes São Tomé and Principe as a lower middle income developing country with a fragile economy. The main economic activities are the services sector, agriculture, fishing, and a recently growing tourism sector. The country imports most of its consumer goods and relies heavily in public expenditure as the main driver of growth. The life expectancy is 66.6 years and the adult literacy rateinfo:eu-repo/semantics/acceptedVersio

Higher education systems and institutions, Angola

The Republic of Angola is located in the southwest coast of Africa, bordered by the Democratic Republic of Congo to the north, Zambia to the east, and Namibia to the south. With an area of about 1,246,700 square km and a population of 30 million, it is the largest Portuguese-speaking country in Africa. In 1975, following the collapse of the authoritarian regime in Portugal, Angola became independent with the socialist MPLA (Popular Movement for the Liberation of Angola) as the only legally recognized party and an economic regime of state control and collective property. After a prolonged and extremely destructive civil war with the other movements which had taken part in the colonial war, namely, UNITA and FNLA, the 1992 agreements led to general elections and the establishment of the Second Republic (in which MPLA still dominates Parliament, government, and presidency but in a multiparty regime) and market-driven reforms. The civil war would nevertheless continue...info:eu-repo/semantics/acceptedVersio

A brief overview of the evolution and main features of the biotechnology industry

This paper offers an overview of the origin, evolution and main features of the biotechnology industry, putting particular emphasis on the behaviour of one key actor – the dedicated biotechnology firm. It starts with a brief historical background detailing the origin and dynamics of the industry, which is followed by a more detailed examination of the firms’ strategies, business models and networking behaviour. It concludes with a discussion on the constraints and opportunities faced by firms operating outside the main centres of knowledge production and business in biotechnology, as is the case of dedicated biotechnology firms located in Portugal.FC

Simulation and Teaching-Learning in Paediatrics. Essential Topics

Em 2004 começou a funcionar no Hospital de Dona Estefânia um Centro de Simulação de Técnicas em Pediatria ligado à Faculdade de Ciências Médicas da Universidade Nova de Lisboa. A principal inovação relacionou-se com o facto de os estudantes do 5º ano do curso passarem a dispor da oportunidade de treino de procedimentos em modelos (manequins). O objectivo deste estudo foi descrever o funcionamento do referido centro com base nos testemunhos de estudantes e na experiência dos formadores. De acordo com as opiniões expressas, este tipo de treino foi considerado muito relevante para a sua formação. Na generalidade, os estudantes expressaram a necessidade de ampliar a carga horária para esta valência e de maior diversificação de manequins. De acordo com a experiência dos formadores há necessidade de melhorar alguns aspectos relacionados com a logística, e de rendibilizar a utilização do equipamento, abrindo esta área de formação ao ensino pós-graduado nomeadamente ao treino de internos, o que implica um alargamento do protocolo estabelecido entre a Faculdade e o Hospital. Em síntese, reconhecendo embora, as limitações do estudo, os testemunhos de docentes e discentes podem ser considerados como auditoria interna, sugerindo a necessidade de mudanças curriculares e de melhoria de aspectos logísticos essenciais

The emergence of a knowledge-intensive sector in Portugal: social networks and innovation in the software sector

This paper deals with the development of the software for telecommunications sector, a relatively small segment in the global software industry though one of its most innovative. In fact, its products address the demand of one of the most sophisticated and fastest changing industries today, the telecommunications industry. We attempt to explain how and why this sector has evolved in Portugal since its inception in the early 1980s. Social networks have played a relevant role in this entrepreneurial and innovative process, both for the formation and early stage development of firms. We will analyse the relevance and type of the networks involved in the process, before investigating the existence of an association between their composition and the innovative patterns of the firms, in terms of more radical versus more incremental innovation. This implies taking into account the intra-sector diversity, namely the existence of distinct groups of firms within the sector, in relation to their innovative strategies and capabilities. Finally, we will draw some conclusions and discuss policy implications.FC

Knowledge access and location decisions in biotechnology: the spatial dimension of social networks

DINÂMIA'CET, Dezembro de 2009.This paper addresses the spatial dimension of knowledge sourcing strategies, investigating the role played by social networks on the access to scientific and technological knowledge by new biotechnology firms. Our approach takes into consideration the impact of various forms of proximity - geographical, social, cognitive and organisational - on the development of key relationships, as well as on their use for knowledge acquisition. It enables us to assess the relative importance of local and distant knowledge sources and to explain the entrepreneurs’ decisions in terms of network mobilisation.FC

Entrepreneurship and social networks in IT sectors: the case of the software industry

DINÂMIA, Dezembro de 2008Empirical research has repeatedly confirmed that social networks are important for the creation, survival and growth of new companies. In this article, the leading research questions are: 1) how do networks contribute to the creation of software firms and further development of a competitive IT sector; 2) what is the structure and features of those networks; 3) how have they evolved from the companies’ founding stage to the current period; 4) what resources (scientific and technological knowledge, skills, and others) do entrepreneurs mobilize through their networks. Based on a survey of 13 companies, those research questions have been tested, using a methodology that combines applied statistical techniques and social network analysis. Our results seem to support our research questions. They also show that some companies and research units play a relevant role as brokers in the access of many companies to technological, informational and other resources.L’évidence empirique a montré à plusieurs reprises l’importance des réseaux personnels des entrepreneurs pour la création et la réussite des entreprises. Dans cet article, les questions de recherche fondamentales sont: 1) quel est le rôle des réseaux sociaux dans la création des entreprises du secteur du logiciel pour les télécommunications; 2) quelles sont la structure et les caractéristiques de ces réseaux; 3) quelle a été l’évolution de ces réseaux depuis leur création jusqu’à présent; 4) quelles sont les ressources (connaissances scientifique et technologique, qualifications, etc.) et les sources mobilisées par les entrepreneurs à travers les réseaux. Nous avons procédé au test de nos hypothèses sur un groupe de 13 entreprises du secteur, ayant recours à une méthodologie qui combine les techniques statistiques et l’analyse des réseaux sociaux. Les résultats semblent confirmer nos questions de recherche. Par ailleurs, ils révèlent l’existence de quelques entreprises et organisations de recherche qui assurent un rôle d’intermédiaires, permettant l’accès à nombre d’entreprises aux ressources technologiques et informationnelles fondamentales.FC

Building a bridge: social networks and technological regimes in biotechnology and software

The paper investigates the influence of technological regimes on the composition and structure of firms’ knowledge networks. We combine insights from two hitherto unconnected bodies of research: one relating technological regimes with the nature of knowledge; and the other relating knowledge and types of innovation with network configuration. Drawing on this framework, we build a number of propositions on the relationship between firms’ networking behaviour and the regime under which they operate, operationalized at both sector and firm-level. These propositions are explored through empirical research comparing firms operating in two distinct knowledge-intensive sectors, namely biotechnology, which is commonly considered more science-based, and software, thought of as mostly technology-based. As expected, we found that distinct technological regimes affect the knowledge search/exchange process, and thus have an impact upon the network building strategies of the firms. The results also reveal that sector-based technological regimes have a greater explanatory capacity than firm-based regimes that cross sectoral boundaries. The use of different approaches and techniques, together with the combination of sector and firm level analyses, provided a tool that enabled a deeper understanding of the variety of networking behaviours among knowledge-intensive firms.POCI/ESC/60500/2004 e PPCDT/ESC/60500/2004 FC