Relacionamentos entre concorrentes em rede

Mestrado em Gestão e Estratégia IndustrialOs relacionamentos entre empresas constituem um importante mecanismo de acesso e desenvolvimento de recursos. A sua existência baseia-se na noção de que cada empresa existe inserida numa rede de relacionamentos conectados. Em geral, na literatura sobre redes, tem sido dada uma grande ênfase ao estudo dos relacionamentos fornecedor-cliente. Um número relativamente menor de estudos tem focado os relacionamentos entre concorrentes, em particular, aquilo que alguns autores designam por relacionamentos coopetitivos. A emergência destes relacionamentos é essencialmente vista como resultante de ações deliberadas pela gestão de topo das empresas envolvidas. Em contraste com esta perspetiva e recorrendo à noção de comunidades de prática, sugere-se que a coopetição, na sua dimensão cooperativa, pode envolver relacionamentos de caráter informal desenvolvidos entre profissionais de empresas concorrentes no contexto de comunidades de prática. Através de um estudo de caso, demonstra-se a sua relevância em termos de partilha de conhecimento entre profissionais de empresas concorrentes e, em última análise, a sua tradução num melhor desempenho para as empresas clientes. O estudo permite concluir que a noção de coopetição deve ser ampliada para incluir a emergência e operação de comunidades de prática envolvendo a cooperação informal entre profissionais de empresas concorrentes.Relationships between firms are an important mechanism for accessing and developing resources. Its existence is based on the notion that every business is inserted in a network of connected relationships. In general, in the literature on networks, has been given a great emphasis on the study of supplier-customer relationships. A relatively small number of studies have focused on the relationships between competitors, in particular, what some authors call coopetitive relationships. The emergence of these relationships has essentially been seen as a result of deliberate actions by top management of the companies involved. In contrast to this perspective and using the concept of communities of practice, it is suggested that the coopetition in its cooperative dimension may involve informal relationships developed between professionals of competing firms in the context of communities of practice. Through a case study, we demonstrate its relevance in terms of knowledge sharing between professionals from competing firms and, ultimately, its translation in better performance for business customers. The study shows that the concept of coopetition should be expanded to include the emergence and operation of communities of practice involving informal cooperation between professionals from competing companies

Mapeamento de conceitos: um recurso no aprendizado de química para alunos do ensino médio / Concept mapping: a resource in chemistry learning for high school students

Os mapas conceituais têm sido amplamente difundidos em estudos educacionais para o ensino de química, pois no contexto da educação básica, particularmente nos anos do ensino médio, é possível perceber que a perspectiva tradicional ainda é predominante. O objetivo deste trabalho é apresentar uma revisão bibliográfica sobre as aplicações dos mapas conceituais no ensino e aprendizagem de Química para alunos do ensino médio, trazendo informações relevantes sobre o uso dessa ferramenta na promoção de uma aprendizagem significativa. É apresentado como proposta a utilização dos mapas conceituais na perspectiva da Teoria da Aprendizagem Significativa de David Ausubel, sugerindo sua introdução a sua utilização como forma de promover a compreensão em química, na perspectiva da educação cidadã. Este artigo descreve os principais aspectos destes estudos: quais métodos foram utilizados e quais as características dos mapas conceituais foram consideradas na sua aplicação. A presente pesquisa é uma revisão bibliográfica de caráter descritivo com análise qualitativa dos dados. Cinco estudos que utilizaram o mapeamento de conceitos no ensino de química foram considerados elegíveis para análise. Quanto à análise dos dados obtidos, observou-se que os mapas conceituais demonstraram ter um impacto positivo na qualidade do ensino e aprendizado de conceitos de química em uma variedade de contextos educacionais. Sendo utilizados em todos os espectros educacionais, principalmente como método de avaliação de conhecimento dos alunos

NEOTROPICAL XENARTHRANS: a data set of occurrence of xenarthran species in the Neotropics

Xenarthrans—anteaters, sloths, and armadillos—have essential functions for ecosystem maintenance, such as insect control and nutrient cycling, playing key roles as ecosystem engineers. Because of habitat loss and fragmentation, hunting pressure, and conflicts with domestic dogs, these species have been threatened locally, regionally, or even across their full distribution ranges. The Neotropics harbor 21 species of armadillos, 10 anteaters, and 6 sloths. Our data set includes the families Chlamyphoridae (13), Dasypodidae (7), Myrmecophagidae (3), Bradypodidae (4), and Megalonychidae (2). We have no occurrence data on Dasypus pilosus (Dasypodidae). Regarding Cyclopedidae, until recently, only one species was recognized, but new genetic studies have revealed that the group is represented by seven species. In this data paper, we compiled a total of 42,528 records of 31 species, represented by occurrence and quantitative data, totaling 24,847 unique georeferenced records. The geographic range is from the southern United States, Mexico, and Caribbean countries at the northern portion of the Neotropics, to the austral distribution in Argentina, Paraguay, Chile, and Uruguay. Regarding anteaters, Myrmecophaga tridactyla has the most records (n = 5,941), and Cyclopes sp. have the fewest (n = 240). The armadillo species with the most data is Dasypus novemcinctus (n = 11,588), and the fewest data are recorded for Calyptophractus retusus (n = 33). With regard to sloth species, Bradypus variegatus has the most records (n = 962), and Bradypus pygmaeus has the fewest (n = 12). Our main objective with Neotropical Xenarthrans is to make occurrence and quantitative data available to facilitate more ecological research, particularly if we integrate the xenarthran data with other data sets of Neotropical Series that will become available very soon (i.e., Neotropical Carnivores, Neotropical Invasive Mammals, and Neotropical Hunters and Dogs). Therefore, studies on trophic cascades, hunting pressure, habitat loss, fragmentation effects, species invasion, and climate change effects will be possible with the Neotropical Xenarthrans data set. Please cite this data paper when using its data in publications. We also request that researchers and teachers inform us of how they are using these data

Characterisation of microbial attack on archaeological bone

As part of an EU funded project to investigate the factors influencing bone preservation in the archaeological record, more than 250 bones from 41 archaeological sites in five countries spanning four climatic regions were studied for diagenetic alteration. Sites were selected to cover a range of environmental conditions and archaeological contexts. Microscopic and physical (mercury intrusion porosimetry) analyses of these bones revealed that the majority (68%) had suffered microbial attack. Furthermore, significant differences were found between animal and human bone in both the state of preservation and the type of microbial attack present. These differences in preservation might result from differences in early taphonomy of the bones. © 2003 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved

Global variation in postoperative mortality and complications after cancer surgery: a multicentre, prospective cohort study in 82 countries

© 2021 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Ltd. This is an Open Access article under the CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 licenseBackground: 80% of individuals with cancer will require a surgical procedure, yet little comparative data exist on early outcomes in low-income and middle-income countries (LMICs). We compared postoperative outcomes in breast, colorectal, and gastric cancer surgery in hospitals worldwide, focusing on the effect of disease stage and complications on postoperative mortality. Methods: This was a multicentre, international prospective cohort study of consecutive adult patients undergoing surgery for primary breast, colorectal, or gastric cancer requiring a skin incision done under general or neuraxial anaesthesia. The primary outcome was death or major complication within 30 days of surgery. Multilevel logistic regression determined relationships within three-level nested models of patients within hospitals and countries. Hospital-level infrastructure effects were explored with three-way mediation analyses. This study was registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT03471494. Findings: Between April 1, 2018, and Jan 31, 2019, we enrolled 15 958 patients from 428 hospitals in 82 countries (high income 9106 patients, 31 countries; upper-middle income 2721 patients, 23 countries; or lower-middle income 4131 patients, 28 countries). Patients in LMICs presented with more advanced disease compared with patients in high-income countries. 30-day mortality was higher for gastric cancer in low-income or lower-middle-income countries (adjusted odds ratio 3·72, 95% CI 1·70–8·16) and for colorectal cancer in low-income or lower-middle-income countries (4·59, 2·39–8·80) and upper-middle-income countries (2·06, 1·11–3·83). No difference in 30-day mortality was seen in breast cancer. The proportion of patients who died after a major complication was greatest in low-income or lower-middle-income countries (6·15, 3·26–11·59) and upper-middle-income countries (3·89, 2·08–7·29). Postoperative death after complications was partly explained by patient factors (60%) and partly by hospital or country (40%). The absence of consistently available postoperative care facilities was associated with seven to 10 more deaths per 100 major complications in LMICs. Cancer stage alone explained little of the early variation in mortality or postoperative complications. Interpretation: Higher levels of mortality after cancer surgery in LMICs was not fully explained by later presentation of disease. The capacity to rescue patients from surgical complications is a tangible opportunity for meaningful intervention. Early death after cancer surgery might be reduced by policies focusing on strengthening perioperative care systems to detect and intervene in common complications. Funding: National Institute for Health Research Global Health Research Unit

Effects of hospital facilities on patient outcomes after cancer surgery: an international, prospective, observational study

© 2022 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Ltd. This is an Open Access article under the CC BY 4.0 licenseBackground: Early death after cancer surgery is higher in low-income and middle-income countries (LMICs) compared with in high-income countries, yet the impact of facility characteristics on early postoperative outcomes is unknown. The aim of this study was to examine the association between hospital infrastructure, resource availability, and processes on early outcomes after cancer surgery worldwide. Methods: A multimethods analysis was performed as part of the GlobalSurg 3 study—a multicentre, international, prospective cohort study of patients who had surgery for breast, colorectal, or gastric cancer. The primary outcomes were 30-day mortality and 30-day major complication rates. Potentially beneficial hospital facilities were identified by variable selection to select those associated with 30-day mortality. Adjusted outcomes were determined using generalised estimating equations to account for patient characteristics and country-income group, with population stratification by hospital. Findings: Between April 1, 2018, and April 23, 2019, facility-level data were collected for 9685 patients across 238 hospitals in 66 countries (91 hospitals in 20 high-income countries; 57 hospitals in 19 upper-middle-income countries; and 90 hospitals in 27 low-income to lower-middle-income countries). The availability of five hospital facilities was inversely associated with mortality: ultrasound, CT scanner, critical care unit, opioid analgesia, and oncologist. After adjustment for case-mix and country income group, hospitals with three or fewer of these facilities (62 hospitals, 1294 patients) had higher mortality compared with those with four or five (adjusted odds ratio [OR] 3·85 [95% CI 2·58–5·75]; p<0·0001), with excess mortality predominantly explained by a limited capacity to rescue following the development of major complications (63·0% vs 82·7%; OR 0·35 [0·23–0·53]; p<0·0001). Across LMICs, improvements in hospital facilities would prevent one to three deaths for every 100 patients undergoing surgery for cancer. Interpretation: Hospitals with higher levels of infrastructure and resources have better outcomes after cancer surgery, independent of country income. Without urgent strengthening of hospital infrastructure and resources, the reductions in cancer-associated mortality associated with improved access will not be realised. Funding: National Institute for Health and Care Research