Afinity, Animosity and Organizational Design

The behavior of the members of an organization is determined, not only by the objective situation facing them, but also by their attitudes. Thus, the objective of aligning collective goals and individual behavior translates into a problem of alignment of attitudes. An important dimension of the problem of organizational design is, therefore, to choose the organization that best contributes to the alignment of attitudes. This paper shows that the existence of animosity, as opposed to afinity, affects the optimal organizational design.

The fellowship of St.Diogo : new Christian judaisers in Coimbra in the early 17th century

Dr Antonio Homem was a respected teacher in the University of Coimbra, a Canon in the Cathedral and an illustrious scholar. He was also the heir of a long Jewish family tradition. His great-great-grand father lived and died as a Jew. His great-grandfather, his grandmother and two of his uncles were among his relatives to have been sentenced as judaisers by the Inquisition. His own father kept the Law of Moses, and taught it to all his children, without the knowledge of his wife, an Old Christian of noble lineage. His concern for the situation of the New Christians in Portugal eventually made him build up a congregation of judaisers, which he called the Fellowship of St Diogo as a tribute to a Capuchin friar who had been executed a few years earlier as an apostate and defender of the Jewish Law. His congregation grew to include over sixty people, including clerics, physicians, lawyers and students, as well as merchants and farmers. Its leader gave it a corpus of doctrine and eventually a distinctive liturgy, which showed influence from the Catholic Church. The Fellowship also inspired the creation of judaiser conventicles in three major Monasteries in the Coimbra district, where a relatively large number of nuns held cult meetings and paid homage to Friar Diogo as a martyr of the Law of Moses. After several years of activity, the Fellowship was investigated and dismantled by the Inquisition. Most of its members were arrested and sentenced. Dr AntOnio Homem was himself taken into custody, charged with heresy and apostasy, as well as sodomy (he was a known paederast), and finally handed over to the secular arm for execution. His dream of building up a judaiser community in Coimbra was shattered. The Fellowship members who survived either left the country and joined the orthodox Jewish communities in the Netherlands and elsewhere, or stayed in Portugal and gradually lost their Jewish consciousness. Descendants of some of them can still be found near Coimbra

Robust Energy Resource Management Incorporating Risk Analysis Using Conditional Value-at-Risk

The energy resource management (ERM) problem in today’s energy systems is complex and challenging due to the increasing penetration of distributed energy resources with uncertain behavior. Despite the improvement of forecasting tools, and the development of strategies to deal with this uncertainty (for instance, considering Monte Carlo simulation to generate a set of different possible scenarios), the risk associated with such variable resources cannot be neglected and deserves proper attention to guarantee the correct functioning of the entire system. This paper proposes a risk-based optimization approach for the centralized day-ahead ERM taking into account extreme events. Risk-neutral and risk-averse methodologies are implemented, where the risk-averse strategy considers the worst scenario costs through the conditional value-at-risk ( CVaR ) method. The model is formulated from the perspective of an aggregator that manages multiple technologies such as distributed generation, demand response, energy storage systems, among others. The case study analysis the aggregator’s management inserted in a 13-bus distribution network in the smart grid context with high penetration of renewable energy and electric vehicles. Results show an increase of nearly 4% in the day-ahead operational costs comparing the risk-neutral to the risk-averse strategy, but a reduction of up to 14% in the worst-case scenario cost. Thus, the proposed model can provide safer and more robust solutions incorporating the CVaR tool into the day-ahead management.This work was supported in part by the European Regional Development Fund (FEDER) through the Operational Program for Competitiveness and Internationalization (COMPETE 2020), under Project POCI-01-0145-FEDER-028983; and in part by the National Funds through the Fundação para a Ciância e Tecnologia (FCT) Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology, under Project PTDC/EEI-EEE/28983/2017(CENERGETIC), Project CEECIND/02814/2017, Project UIDB/000760/2020, and Project UIDP/00760/2020.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Digital twin experiments focusing virtualisation, connectivity and real-time monitoring

Industry 4.0 is re-shaping the manufacturing world, and amongst the several associated emerging methods and technologies, Digital Twin is becoming a popular approach both in industry and academia. However, the lack of knowledge about the characteristics, functionalities, best practices and benefits that it can provide, especially for small and medium enterprises, constraints its wider adoption. The use of real applications and demonstrators can contribute to exposing stakeholders to these new and innovative technologies and approaches, showing the applicability of Digital Twins. This paper presents several experiments in implementing Digital Twin for automation scenarios, considering different technologies and functionalities, namely in terms of virtualisation, connectivity and monitoring. Lessons learnt and challenges are also provided as a result of the experimental implementations.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Psychometric Properties of the Portuguese Version of The PERMA-Profiler

This study evaluates the psychometric properties of a Portuguese version of The PERMA Profiler in a sample of 1258 Portuguese adults (72.3% females) with a mean age of 36.74 years (SD = 11.313). The PERMA Profiler is a questionnaire that assesses the five dimensions of psychological flourishing, according to Seligman’s well-being theory. According to this theory, the well-being pillars known by the acronym PERMA are positive emotions, engagement, relationships, meaning, and accomplishment. Confirmatory factor analysis was conducted to test Seligman’s model. Results support a reasonable model fit for the five-factor model, but based on the results of bootstrap sample analysis the model was not confirmed. There is also a lack of discriminant validity between PERMA constructs and a lack of validity and reliability of engagement factor. Internal consistency was satisfactory for all five sub-scales, except for engagement. Concurrent validity was demonstrated through the strong and very strong correlations between the PERMA factors and Flourishing Scale. A Portuguese version of The PERMA Profiler is a new tool to assist researchers to refine the measurement and understanding of well-being in Portuguese cultures. Future recommendations and limitations are highlighted.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Efeitos de estimulantes gustativos de secreção salivar na cavidade oral e qualidade de vida numa população portuguesa com Síndrome de Sjögren primária

A saliva é uma solução extremamente importante na homeostasia do corpo humano, sendo que alterações na sua composição e/ou volume podem levar a complicações severas e a alterações na componente funcional e social do individuo. Um dos métodos para mitigar a sua menor produção passa pela utilização de estimulantes gustativos de secreção salivar. Nesta tese foram avaliados os efeitos de estimulantes gustativos de secreção salivar na cavidade oral, nomeadamente no esmalte dentário, fluxo e pH salivar, como também o seu efeito na qualidade de vida numa população portuguesa com síndrome de Sjögren Primária. Com este objetivo foi inicialmente realizado um ensaio clínico aleatorizado com o intuído de identificar os efeitos no fluxo e pH salivar de dois estimulantes gustativos, Xeros® e SST®, com composições diferentes, nomeadamente ácido málico e ácido cítrico respetivamente. Procurámos também avaliar qual o efeito destes mesmos estimulantes na qualidade de vida e para isso foi necessário proceder à validação para português dos questionários Xerostomia Inventory-5 e o Oral Health Impact Profile-14 e que posteriormente foram então utilizados para realizar a comparação entre os dois produtos. Finalmente com base nos resultados obtidos no estudo in vivo foi desenvolvido um novo modelo experimental com o intuito de avaliar o efeito dos estimulantes na superfície do esmalte dentário nomeadamente na sua microdureza. Dentro das limitações deste trabalho e ao combinar todos os resultados obtidos podemos concluir que os questionários utilizados são ferramentas válidas para medir a sensação subjetiva de hipossialia e os efeitos da saúde oral na qualidade de vida. Foi também possível determinar que o sistema Xeros® é mais eficaz na estimulação do fluxo salivar, apresentando ao mesmo tempo uma menor diminuição do pH salivar com menor efeito sobre a microdureza do esmalte dentário, melhorando a sensação subjetiva da boca seca e qualidade de vida ora

ANÁLISE ECONÔMICA DA OVINOCULTURA NA METADE SUL DO RIO GRANDE DO SUL, BRASIL.

Com o objetivo verificar os principais centros de custos, os custos de produção e a rentabilidade da produção ovina na metade sul do Rio Grande do Sul foram realizados a análise econômica de sete produtores entre o período de agosto de 2006 a julho de 2007. Os dados mensais levantados consistem em todas as despesas, receitas e os valores referentes aos produtos consumidos nas propriedades. Também foram realizados os inventários patrimoniais para o cálculo de depreciação e evolução dos ativos físicos. Os custos foram segmentados em custos variáveis, custos fixos, custo operacional e custo total. Indicadores econômicos foram formulados a fim de verificar a rentabilidade da atividade. Os custos variáveis e os custos de oportunidade foram às categorias de custo que mais impactaram a formação do custo total. Dentro do custo operacional destaca-se o elevado custo com mão de obra, sendo o grupo de custo que mais onerou a produção ovina. A ovinocultura mostrou-se como uma atividade rentável quando verificados os indicadores de margem bruta e renda operacional agrícola. Entretanto, a margem líquida apresentou valores negativos em todas as propriedades analisadas. Os custos por quilograma de peso vivo variaram de R$0,86 a R$ 2,02 enquanto os custos por quilograma de lã variaram de R$1,58 a R$ 3,67. Constatou-se que o indicador desfrute de produção influencia diretamente os custos por quilograma de peso vivo.----------------------------------------------------The goal of this study is to examine the production costs and profitability of the sheep production system in the south of Rio Grande do Sul. The economic analysis included seven sheep farms throughout 12 months, between August of 2006 and July of 2007. Expenses, revenue and value of products consumed in the farm were measured monthly. Depreciation and physical assets were calculated based on patrimony balance. Costs were divided in variable costs, fixed costs, operational costs and total costs. Economic indicators were computed to evaluate sheep raising profitability. Results showed that variable and opportunity costs had the largest impact on total costs. In terms of operational costs, labor costs were the largest expense for sheep farms. Overall, sheep raising is a profitable activity, as indicated by positive gross margins and operational revenue indicators. However, net margins were negative across all farms included in the study. Costs per kilogram of live stock varied from R$0,86 to R$ 2,02, while the costs per kilogram of wool varied from R$1,58 to R$3,67. The production acquired is a variable that directly influences the costs per kilogram of live stock.custos de produção, ovinos, rentabilidade, production costs, sheep, profitability, Livestock Production/Industries,