848 research outputs found
Is the logistics sector in China still a constraint to supplying its domestic market?
China is a market ripe with opportunities for those who dare challenge its vastness; its alluring promise of an outstanding growth possibility thanks to its immense and growing internal market presents itself to companies as a place of both enormous challenges but also of potentially great rewards. The logistics sector is considered to be one essential vector of competitiveness for the development of consumer market supply. Logistics plays a tremendously important role in a company’s activity. Poor logistics can lead to lost opportunities and unsatisfied customers, among other things, while having a good logistics system in place might work as a source of competitive advantage. Ilhéu (2006) research concluded that the Chinese logistics and distribution system was one of the myriad problems Portuguese companies encountered when trying to establish a presence in China; poor infrastructure and a generalized lack of value-added services in Chinese logistics companies were some of the widespread problems faced. The highly fragmented nature of the current Chinese market, high road tolls or uneven taxes between provinces, all contribute to the maintenance of an inefficient system that imposes a disproportionately high cost of logistics in the country. A new era for logistics is being ushered in by China since competitiveness and e-commerce requires the modernization of infrastructures as a global mindset management. Some research questions then arise: are Chinese logistics still a burden to the efficiency of Chinese domestic market? How has the Chinese logistical sector progressed in the last eleven years? Is the lack of value-added services still perceived by foreign companies as a constraint to entering the Chinese market?info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio
Biofilm control by ionic liquids
Ionic liquids (ILs) are remarkable chemical compounds with applications in many areas of modern science. They are increasingly recognized as promising compounds to fight microorganisms in both planktonic and biofilm states, contributing to reinvent the antimicrobial pipeline. Biofilm-related infections are particularly challenging given that the scientific community has not yet identified a reliable control strategy. Understanding of the action of ILs in biofilm control is lacking. However, given the highly tunable nature and exceptional properties of ILs, they are excellent candidates for biofilm control. Here, we review the major advances in, and challenges to, the use of ILs for effective biofilm control.Base Funding - UIDB/00511/2020 of LEPABE, UIDB/00081/2020 of CIQUP, and UIDB/04469/2020 of CEB funded by national funds through the FCT/MCTES (PIDDAC); Project Biocide_for_Biofilm - PTDC/BII-BTI/30219/2017 - POCI-01-0145-FEDER-030219, ABFISH – PTDC/ASP-PES/28397/2017 - POCI-01-0145-FEDER-028397, funded by FEDER funds through COMPETE2020 – Programa Operacional Competitividade e Internacionalização (POCI) and by national funds (PIDDAC) through FCT/MCTES, and BioTecNorte operation (NORTE-01-0145-FEDER-000004) funded by the European Regional Development Fund under the scope of Norte2020 - Programa Operacional Regional do Norteinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio
Genetic diversity and structure of the portuguese pear (Pyrus communis L.) germplasm
A rich heritage of traditional pear varieties is kept in national Portuguese collections. Out
of these varieties, “Rocha” dominates national pear production. Although a noticeable phenotypic
variation among clones of this variety has been reported, little is known about its genetic variability,
as to date molecular studies have been performed on a single “Rocha” clone. Eleven Simple Sequence
Repeats (SSR) markers were used to assess the genetic diversity of 130 local cultivars, 80 of them
being “Rocha” clones. The results allowed the di erentiation of 75 genotypes of which 29 are “Rocha”.
Three synonyms groups and four homonymous groups of other local varieties were confirmed.
A Bayesian model-based clustering approach identified two distinct clusters. Using flow cytometry,
six cultivars were found to be triploids. These results show high genetic variability among “Rocha”
clones. In conclusion, there is a need for di erent “Rocha” clones to be preserved to enable the correct
selection of the multiplication materialinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio
Price-setting hotel competition with corporate social responsibility
Pricing plays an important role in any market competition, but particularly in those businesses that hold a seat in hyper
competitive economic activities such as hotels. This paper analyses a market competition between one corporate social
responsibility (CSR) hotel and one for profit (FP) hotel, in which both hotels set room prices. We study three different
market behaviors: (i) both hotels take their decisions simultaneously; (ii) the CSR hotel takes the leader position; (iii)
the FP hotel takes the leader position. For each situation, by using game theory techniques, we compute the different
outcomes of the model at equilibrium. We also describe the effects of CSR on the outcomes.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio
A relação entre os factores sócio-demográficos e o nível de conforto da mulher com cancro da mama em tratamento com quimioterapia
A enfermagem enquanto ciência tem desde sempre procurado contextualizar os seus cuidados de forma a que possam adaptar-se a qualquer pessoa e circunstância. Todas as nossas acções são planeadas e implementadas com o objectivo de proporcionar conforto nas várias dimensões da pessoa, no contexto e meio onde está inserida. A Teoria do Conforto de K. Kolcaba apresenta uma visão holística orientada para a prática dos cuidados, que se adapta a várias realidades. O cancro da mama é o segundo cancro mais diagnosticado em Portugal, com impacto na qualidade de vida pessoal, familiar e sócio-laboral da mulher, de grande complexidade. A enfermagem deve aprofundar conhecimentos nesta área de forma a prestar cuidados de enfermagem mais eficientes. Assim realizamos um estudo com o objectivo de avaliar o nível de conforto das mulheres com cancro da mama em tratamento com quimioterapia e relacionar o mesmo com os factores sócio-demográficos, recorrendo a uma abordagem quantitativa descritivo-correlacional. Aplicámos um questionário de caracterização sócio-demográfica e a escala de conforto da mulher com cancro da mama a realizar quimioterapia (EACDQ) construída por J. Apóstolo e Gameiro, numa Unidade de Oncologia, a nossa amostra (N=46) é probabilística acidental ou de conveniência. No estudo verificámos que o conforto global médio foi de 3,35 (DP=0,60) e que os factores sócio-demográficos determinantes para o nível de conforto das mulheres com cancro de mama a fazer quimioterapia foram a idade (rs=0,329; p=0,026), o número de filhos (rs= -0,389; p=0,008) que com estas mulheres coabita e o seu nível de escolaridade (rs= -0,382; p=0,009). Por outro lado, podemos perceber que o facto das mulheres em estudo serem ou não activas, não influencia o nível de conforto global [z(14,32) =0,645; p=0,159], assim como não é determinante para o nível de conforto ser mastectomizada (p=0,263) ou estar há mais ou menos tempo em tratamentos de quimioterapia (p=0,702). Pensamos que este estudo pode contribuir com sugestões para a prática, para a formação e para a investigação.As a science Nursing has always aimed at contextualizing the care it provides so that it can adapt to anyone under any circumstances. Moreover, all our caring procedures are planned and carried out aiming at the person’s comfort. K. Kolcaba’s theory of comfort presents a holistic approach to nursing care that can adapt to several situations. Breast cancer is the second most diagnosed cancer in Portugal and it has a huge impact on women’s personal, familiar and socio-professional life. Nursing has to improve knowledge in this area so that it can provide a better and more effective care. Thus, we have conducted a survey with the aim of evaluating the level of comfort among women with breast cancer, who are being submitted to chemotherapy. We also aimed at relating that level of comfort to the socio-demographic factors, making use of a correlated-descriptive and quantitive approach. We have implemented a questionnaire focusing on the socio-demographic characterization and on the comfort scale of women with breast cancer under chemotherapy (EACDQ) built by J. Apóstolo e Gameiro. It was conducted in an Oncology Centre among women with breast cancer who composed our non-probabilistic accidental sample. According to the data provided, we concluded that the medium global comfort averages 3,35 (DP = 0,60) and the socio-demographic factors that were decisive to determine the level of comfort were the age (rs=0.329, p=0.026), the number of children (rs=-0.389; p=0.008) still living with them and the women’s qualifications. On the other hand, we can see that having an active life or not (z (14.32) = 0.645; p= 0.159), having been submitted to a mastectomy (p= 0.263) or being under chemotherapy for long (p=0,702) are not determinant features to measure the level of comfort. We believe that this survey can contribute with suggestions to the practice, training and research
Contributos para a compreensão das relações trabalho-família numa instituição de ensino superior
O modo como as organizações desenvolvem e implementam medidas que contribuem para a redução do conflito trabalho-família tem sido alvo da atenção de diversos estudos. Estes destacam não só a importância destas medidas como alertam para a importância da análise dos aspetos que estão associados ao uso das mesmas por parte dos colaboradores. Este estudo teve como objetivo analisar a importância de um conjunto de antecedentes do domínio profissional e individual que podem contribuir, no caso de uma instituição pública de ensino superior, para a caracterização do conflito entre o trabalho e a família dos seus colaboradores não docentes. Por outro lado, pretendeu, também, analisar a prevalência do conflito de acordo com o género, a função exercida e ainda de acordo com a especificidade de cada Unidade orgânica, onde o colaborador exerce a sua função. Finalmente, de uma forma exploratória, o modo como as diferentes variáveis organizacionais que foram consideradas,
concorrem, de forma integrada para o conflito trabalho-família, família-trabalho e também para a intenção de abandono da organização. Com uma amostra de 373 colaboradores não docentes de uma Instituição de ensino superior pública com recurso a comparações de médias, Manovas, regressões e equações estruturais os resultados evidenciaram a importância da justiça internacional e a divulgação do apoio como variáveis mediadoras no conflito trabalho-família.
Os resultados obtidos são discutidos no âmbito da importância das práticas de comunicação, enquanto aspetos a considerar quando se analisa a importância das medidas organizacionais que pretendem contribuir para a redução do conflito trabalho-família, no quadro de uma instituição pública
Microbiome Associated with the Mycangia of Female and Male Adults of the Ambrosia Beetle Platypus cylindrus Fab. (Coleoptera: Curculionidae)
The ambrosia beetle Platypus cylindrus is a major cork oak pest in Portugal. Beetles
have different roles in host tree colonization and are equipped with specific structures (mycangia) for
fungal transportation. The information on bacterial composition associated with mycangia is scarce.
The bacterial community present in the mycangia of P. cylindrus male and female beetles collected
from cork oak galleries was investigated. Mycangia anatomical structure was also explored using
histological and 3D imaging techniques to highlight evidence of biological sexual dimorphism. A
diverse bacterial community with few gender-specific bacteria was shown and histology revealed
connections linking external and internal tissues only in females, providing the first insights into
sexual differentiation for bacteria in a Platypodinae beetle species.The ambrosia beetle Platypus cylindrus Fab. (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) is a major cork
oak pest in Portugal. Female and male beetles have different roles in host tree colonization and are
both equipped with prothoracic mycangia for fungal transportation. Despite a known beneficial role
of bacteria in ambrosia beetles, information on bacterial composition associated with prothoracic
mycangia structures is scarce. Bacterial community from mycangia of P. cylindrus male and female
beetles collected from cork oak galleries was investigated by means of 16S metagenomics. Mycangia
anatomical structure was also explored with histological techniques and X-ray computed microtomography
to highlight evidence supporting biological sexual dimorphism. A bacterial community
with highly diverse bacterial taxa with low abundances at the genus level was revealed. Lactobacillales,
Leptotrichia, Neisseria, Rothia, and Sphingomonadaceae were significantly more abundant in
males, while Acinetobacter, Chitinophagaceae, Enterobacteriaceae, Erwiniaceae, Microbacteriaceae,
and Pseudoclavibacter were more abundant in females. Additionally, a core bacteriome of five genera
was shared by both sexes. Histological examination revealed visible connections linking external
and internal tissues in females, but none in males. Overall, these results provide the first insights
into sexual differentiation for bacteria in a Platypodinae beetle species, identifying key patterns of
bacteria distribution in the context of beetle ecology and functional behavior.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio
PREPARO TÉCNICO E PROFISSIONAL EM EAD PARA GESTÃO DE TRÂNSITO: UMA ANÁLISE A PARTIR DE PROGRAMAS APRESENTADOS NA INTERNET
Uma das principais diretrizes para definição de conteúdo programático para cursos técnicos deve ser a formação do profissional em função de sua competência para atuação no mercado de trabalho. Em se tratando da gestão para o trânsito, tem-se carência de profissionais que possam atuar em pequenas e médias cidades brasileiras, com ênfase em estabelecer a mobilidade e a sustentabilidade em áreas urbanas. Para contribuir com essa tarefa, surgem cursos na modalidade a distância que têm suas características apresentadas nas páginas das instituições proponentes. Nesse contexto, o presente trabalho teve por objetivo relacionar o conteúdo programático de interesse para as funções da gestão de trânsito e analisar as propostas de cursos em Educação a Distância (EaD) ofertados no Brasil nessa área. A metodologia foi composta de pesquisa na internet, com coleta de informações sobre o programa, o perfil do aluno e os recursos didáticos utilizados. Os resultados apontaram que os cursos não apresentam conteúdo direcionado para as diversas possibilidades de atuação na área, constituindo-se em multidisciplinares sem foco profissional específico. A maioria dos cursos precisa ajustar o programa à competência profissional para gestão de trânsito, com melhor definição para o perfil do aluno e os recursos didáticos
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