From traditional resource to global commodities: a comparison of Rhodiola species using NMR spectroscopy - metabolomics and HPTLC

The fast developing international trade of products based on traditional knowledge and their value chains has become an important aspect of the ethnopharmacological debate. The structure and diversity of value chains and their impact on the phytochemical composition of herbal medicinal products has been overlooked in the debate about quality problems in transnational trade. Different government policies and regulations governing trade in herbal medicinal products impact on such value chains. Medicinal Rhodiola species, including Rhodiola rosea L. and Rhodiola crenulata (Hook.f. & Thomson) H.Ohba, have been used widely in Europe and Asia as traditional herbal medicines with numerous claims for their therapeutic effects. Faced with resource depletion and environment destruction, R. rosea and R. crenulata are becoming endangered, making them more economically valuable to collectors and middlemen, and also increasing the risk of adulteration and low quality. We compare the phytochemical differences among Rhodiola raw materials available on the market to provide a practical method for Rhodiola authentication and the detection of potential adulterant compounds. Samples were collected from Europe and Asia and nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy coupled with multivariate analysis software and high performance thin layer chromatography techniques were used to analyse the samples. A method was developed to quantify the amount of adulterant species contained within mixtures. We compared the phytochemical composition of collected Rhodiola samples to authenticated samples. Rosavin and rosarin were mainly present in R. rosea whereas crenulatin was only present in R. crenulata. 30% of the Rhodiola samples purchased from the Chinese market were adulterated by other Rhodiola spp. Moreover, 7 % of the raw-material samples were not labelled satifactorily. The utilisation of both 1H-NMR and HPTLC methods provided an integrated analysis of the phytochemical differences and novel identification method for R. rosea and R. crenulata. Using 1H-NMR spectroscopy it was possible to quantify the presence of R. crenulata in admixtures with R. rosea. This quantitative technique could be used in the future to assess a variety of herbal drugs and products. This project also highlights the need to further study the links between producers and consumers in national and trans-national trade.

Ferramentas para adequação das linhas de pesquisa de intitutos de pesquisa: o exemplo do IPEN

Tese (Doutoramento)

Warfare in the West Highlands and Isles of Scotland, c. 1544-1615

Warfare has long been associated with Scottish Highlanders and Islanders, especially in the period known in Gaelic tradition as ‘Linn nan Creach’ (the ‘Age of Forays’), which followed the forfeiture of the Lordship of the Isles in 1493. The sixteenth century in general is remembered as a particularly tumultuous time within the West Highlands and Isles, characterised by armed conflict on a seemingly unprecedented scale. Relatively little research has been conducted into the nature of warfare however, a gap filled by this thesis through its focus on a series of interconnected themes and in-depth case studies spanning the period c. 1544-1615. It challenges the idea that the sixteenth century and early seventeenth century was a time of endless bloodshed, and explores the rationale behind the distinctive mode of warfare practised in the West Highlands and Isles. The first part of the thesis traces the overall ‘Process of War’. Chapter 1 focuses on the mentality of the social elite in the West Highlands and Isles and demonstrates that warfare was not their raison d'être, but was tied inextricably to chiefs’ prime responsibility of protecting their lands and tenants. Chapter 2 assesses the causation of warfare and reveals that a recurrent catalyst for armed conflict was the assertion of rights to land and inheritance. There were other important causes however, including clan expectation, honour culture, punitive government policies, and the use of proxy warfare by prominent magnates. Chapter 3 takes a fresh approach to the military capacity of the region through analysis of armies and soldiers, and the final thematic chapter tackles the conduct of warfare in the West Highlands and Isles, with analysis of the tactics and strategy of militarised personnel. The second part of this thesis comprises five case studies: the Clanranald, 1544-77; the Colquhouns of Luss and the Lennox, 1592-1603; the MacLeods of Harris and MacDonalds of Sleat, 1594-1601; the Camerons, 1569-1614; and the ‘Islay Rising’, 1614-15. This thesis adopts a unique approach by contextualising the political background of warfare in order to instil a deeper understanding of why early modern Gaelic Scots resorted to bloodshed. Overall, this period was defined by a sharp rise in military activity, followed by an even sharper decline, a trajectory that will be evidenced vividly in the final case study on the ‘Islay Rising’. Although warfare was widespread, it was not unrestrained or continuous, and the traditional image of a region riven by perpetual bloodshed has been greatly exaggerated.

Clydebank in the inter-war years: a study in economic and social change

The main theme of this thesis is the social, economic and political response of a single community to economic dislocation in the interwar years. The community under consideration is Clydebank., The thesis is divided into several parts. Part I establishes the development of the burgh and considers the physical framework of the community, mainly in the years before 1919. The town's characteristics are examined in terms of population structure and development between the world wars. In the last part of this section there is a review of the economic structure of the burgh and changes occurring in it between 1919 and 1939. In Part II consideration is given to the actual extent and form of the unemployment affecting Clydebank at this time, and comparison is made with other communities and geographic/economic areas. Attention is then focussed more narrowly on the actual individuals suffering unemployment in the burgh during the 1930s, in an attempt to personalise the experience of the unemployed. Part III reviews central and local government responses to the situation in which Clydebank found itself oetween 1919 and 1939. Central government policies discussed include unemployment insurance, public works, the Special Areas legislation, assistance in the construction of the 534 "Queen Mary" and the direction of financial support to areas of particular need. Amongst local authority actions described are additional local support for the poor, public works, efforts to attract new industry to the town, attempts to deal with the housing problem which was particularly acute at times of high unemployment and measures to maintain health standards in the community. In Part IV the responses of the community to unemployment and government policies are detailed. The burgh's commercial sector is surveyed as are developments in leisure provision, religion, temperance and crime, and local politics. A number of individual responses are also given consideration such as migration, commuting, changes in birth and marriage rates and suicide.

Paradigma da formação em contexto hospitalar: Análise da realidade percepcionada pelos enfermeiros de cuidados gerais

A presente investigação empírica, desenvolvida na área da formação contínua, procura compreender como se processa a formação continua em contexto de trabalho dos enfermeiros de uma organização hospitalar, centrando-se na percepção e representações dos enfermeiros de cuidados gerais sobre a qualidade, autopercepção do impacte e importância da formação no desenvolvimento de competências e motivação para a participação na formação contínua, como forma de promover o desenvolvimento de competências. Considerando-se que a problemática do paradigma da formação, subsiste na falta de articulação entre os processos comunicacionais, motivadores, procedimentais e dos recursos à disposição dos usuários e gestores da formação, a nível micro dos serviços da organização e macro da tutela o que contribui para a inexistência de resultados quantificáveis, em termos de eficácia e eficiência da formação no desenvolvimento de competências dos colaboradores e crescimento da organização. Apesar da formação contínua, nas organizações, objectivar o desenvolvimento de competências, implicar a construção de um quadro de referência a partir de uma abordagem multidisciplinar, de forma a incluir a complexidade dos fenómenos, a investigação dos factores determinantes que concorrem para a performance dos enfermeiros, parece ser uma abordagem imprescindível para compreender e analisar a problemática na sua dimensão. O estudo empírico consistiu numa investigação exploratória/descritiva, partindo de uma amostragem não probabilística, optando-se por uma metodologia quantitativa, através da aplicação de questionários a 208 enfermeiros da prestação de cuidados, de uma organização hospitalar pública EPE, da Administração Regional de Saúde de Lisboa e Vale do Tejo. Esta investigação permitiu verificar que no geral, os enfermeiros têm uma percepção positiva sobre a qualidade da formação contínua desenvolvida no serviço onde desempenham funções. Maioritariamente consideram importante a formação contínua como factor de desenvolvimento de competências, sentem-se motivados e participam activamente na formação. No entanto, não se conseguiu efectuar qualquer tipo de inferências ou correlações entre as variáveis de estudo constatando-se que os enfermeiros responderam frequentemente e Sempre, na grande maioria das questões, havendo heterogenia nas respostas a questões semelhantes. O estudo demonstrou que apesar da percepção positiva dos enfermeiros sobre a formação contínua desenvolvida no serviço, não se consegue ter a verdadeira percepção de como é conduzida a formação em serviço qual o seu impacte na melhoria do desempenho dos enfermeiros e se a organização evidencia uma cultura de formação voltada para uma estratégia de melhoria continua das qualificações dos enfermeiros. À luz dos resultados, foi desenvolvido um projecto de intervenção sócio-organizacional na área da gestão da formação, numa perspectiva de estratégia de desenvolvimento organizacional, melhoria das competências individuais e proposto um portfólio de descrição de funções do enfermeiro responsável pela formação. ABSTRACT: This study, based on the issues of continuous professional training in the hospital setting, as a factor to develop nurses competencies, intends to understand how the training program in the hospital milieu is conducted, focusing on perceptions and concepts of quality, impact, importance and motivation to participate in ongoing professional training, according to general care registered nurses point of view. The study main goal is to identify how is developed professional training in a medical institution from Sub-Região de Saúde de Lisboa and Vale do Tejo, and evaluate the impact of the training program. Considering that a problematic exists in the articulation between the communication processes, motivational drives, procedures and resources at the disposition of the participants and managers of the professional development program, at a micro level of services in the organization and at a macro level of the government policies and organizational strategies leaders; which contributed to the absence of quantifiable results and little evidence, in terms of efficiency of the professional development program to enhance the professional competencies of those participating in the study. The investigation of the factorial determinants related to nurse’s efficient performance enhanced by participating in continuous professional training, seems to be an imperative approach to understand and analyze the problematic in its own dimension. The empirical study consisted in an exploratory/descriptive investigation, departing from a random sample, by means of a quantitative methodology approach; through the use of questionnaires being administered to 208 nurses in general care, from a public medical organization. This study, allowed to verify that nurses have a positive perception of the professional development programs established in their workplace, and the competencies of those nurses in charge of delivering the program. The majority, considered the maintenance of a continuous professional development program, imperative to maintain good professional skills; they feel motivated and actively participate in professional development programs. However, it was not possible to make any correlations between the variables of the study, noticing that the nurses answered frequently and always, to the majority of the questions. The study demonstrated that even though nurses have a positive perception of professional development in terms of their workplace, it was inconclusive to ascertain the training quality programs delivered at medical facilities. ln conclusion, a plan of intervention centered on a socio-organizational model, was developed to create a uniform, procedural approach to developing high standards competencies for the registered nurses, by a professional training program, that include monitoring the process and assessing the results of the program. Management competencies according to a balanced scorecard it's another proposal of this study.

Resistance performances: (Re)constructing spaces of resistance and contention in the 2010-2011 University of Puerto Rico student movement

On the night of April 20, 2010, a group of students from the University of Puerto Rico (UPR), Río Piedras campus, met to organize an indefinite strike that quickly broadened into a defense of accessible public higher education of excellence as a fundamental right and not a privilege. Although the history of student activism in the UPR can be traced back to the early 1900s, the 2010-2011 strike will be remembered for the student activists’ use of new media technologies as resources that rapidly prompted and aided the numerous protests. ^ This activist research entailed a critical ethnography and a critical discourse analysis (CDA) of traditional and alternative media coverage and treatment during the 2010 -2011 UPR student strike. I examined the use of the 2010-2011 UPR student activists’ resistance performances in constructing local, corporeal, and virtual spaces of resistance and contention during their movement. In particular, I analyzed the different tactics and strategies of resistance or repertoire of collective actions that student activists used (e.g. new media technologies) to frame their collective identities via alternative news media’s (re)presentation of the strike, while juxtaposing the university administration’s counter-resistance performances in counter-framing the student activists’ collective identity via traditional news media representations of the strike. I illustrated how both traditional and alternative media (re)presentations of student activism developed, maintained, and/or modified students activists’ collective identities. ^ As such, the UPR student activism’s success should not be measured by the sum of demands granted, but by the sense of community achieved and the establishment of networks that continue to create resistance and change. These networks add to the debate surrounding Internet activism and its impact on student activism. Ultimately, the results of this study highlight the important role student movements have had in challenging different types of government policies and raising awareness of the importance of an accessible public higher education of excellence.^

Liderazgo de rango total y gestión del conocimiento: situación actual y perspectivas de desarrollo

El presente trabajo muestra los tipos de liderazgo de rango total y su relación con respecto a la gestión del conocimiento. Para ello, en primer lugar, se efectúa la investigación teórica del liderazgo transaccional y del liderazgo transformacional, ya que estos hacen parte del liderazgo de rango total, de igual forma se estudiará los aspectos primordiales de la gestión del conocimiento, dando cavidad al análisis de la relación entre dichos conceptos y cómo influyen en la perdurabilidad de las organizaciones. Se evidencian resultados que señalan: La existencia de una fuerte interrelación entre el liderazgo y la gestión del conocimiento, de forma que las empresas precisan de un mayor conocimiento acerca de las características del liderazgo para facilitar la comprensión e implantación de las mejores prácticas en la organización (Barbosa, Mihi & Noguera, 2013, sección de Resumen, párr. 1) Una organización se encuentra orientada a identificar objetivos y las estrategias más adecuadas para conseguirlos, siendo está una actividad primordial en la gestión empresarial, la cual logra organizar y disponer todos los recursos humanos para la optimización de cada uno de sus trabajadores teniendo en cuenta los efectos del entorno, por lo tanto la actualidad empresarial se encuentra guiada hacia la elección de personal con altas habilidades de liderazgo y gestión del conocimiento, siendo de esta forma la razón del estudio adecuado del liderazgo orientándonos en el modelo de liderazgo de rango total y la importancia de la gestión del conocimiento en la actualidad. Se evidencian numerosos estudios de investigación en donde se han relacionado el estilo de liderazgo organizacional con óptimos resultados (Vega & Zavala, 2004). Lo cual permite realizar investigaciones de diferentes autores sobre la relación que se evidencia entre la gestión del conocimiento y los diferentes tipos de liderazgo del modelo de rango total, y como sus actos pueden llevar a la organización privada a la perdurabilidad, lo cual se definiría como una organización que: A través del tiempo presenta resultados financieros superiores. Adecua su manejo a la intensidad de las condiciones del entorno sectorial y las fuerzas del mercado. Se enfoca en espacios no explotados y hace un estudio detallado de sus competidores diseñando y ejecutando productivamente la cadena de valor. Es aquella que obtiene desempeños eficientes en su gestión por la coherencia de su acción, la identificación de su entorno sectorial y sus políticas de gobierno, evitando estados de morbidez que dificultan su crecimiento rentable y que puede llegar a estados tanticos. Propicia la alineación de las personas con la empresa, la construcción de conocimiento y la calidad en los procesos de interacción social. (Rivera, 2012, p.107)

Il "posto" del Presidente del Consiglio dei ministri tra attività di governo e coordinamento inter-istituzionale

La ricerca ha ad oggetto lo studio dell’evoluzione del ruolo del Presidente del Consiglio dei ministri all’interno delle dinamiche di funzionamento della forma di governo italiana. Difatti, la ricostruzione sistematica di tale figura sembra essere rimasta sempre in secondo piano rispetto alle complesse analisi riguardanti la forma di governo parlamentare. Dal totale silenzio dello Statuto albertino sul punto, agli svariati tentativi non sempre riusciti nel periodo statutario di disciplinare le competenze presidenziali con atti normativi, alle “fumose” parole dell’articolo 95 della Costituzione, che hanno lasciato coesistere interpretazioni divergenti sulla collocazione del Presidente del Consiglio all’interno della compagine governativa, sino alla tardiva attuazione del disposto costituzionale con la legge n. 400/88, con grande difficoltà tale figura è riuscita ad avere un riconoscimento espresso e stabile delle proprie attribuzioni costituzionali. Il lavoro di ricerca, pertanto, si propone di ricostruire il “ruolo” costituzionale di tale figura soprattutto alla luce delle recenti evoluzioni che hanno caratterizzato la forma di governo nazionale. Ponendo al centro l’analisi di tali fenomeni, il lavoro si sviluppa seguendo tre direttrici evidenziate dalla tre parti in cui esso si divide: un’analisi storico-evolutiva; un’analisi orizzontale e “di sistema” dell’impianto organizzativo dell’esecutivo e del suo vertice e un’analisi concreta di due “casi di studio”. La finalità della ricerca è quella di proporre una lettura del ruolo costituzionale del Presidente del Consiglio in una chiave più estesa: non limitato esclusivamente al coordinamento e alla direzione dell’attività endogovernativa, declinata principalmente nel campo normativo, ma che ricomprende anche il coordinamento delle politiche pubbliche di governo e funzionale allo svolgimento di un coordinamento “inter-istituzionale” e “di sistema”, che coinvolge le diverse strutture governative, il Parlamento e i diversi livelli di governo, anche sovranazionale.

Fiscal decentralization policies and sub-national government debt in evolving federations

As part of a process of democratization, many countries spanning Europe, Latin Amertica, Africa, and Asia are reorganizing their governments bydevolving fiscal responsibility and authority to newly empowered regionaland local governments. Although decentralization in each country proceedsdifferently, a common element tends to be an initially heavy relianceon central government grants to fund regional spending. We develop atheoretical model of regional borrowing decisions in which the incentivesfor regional borrowing depend crucially on how the regions expect thefederal system of finance to evolve. We examine the implications of themodel using data on Spanish regions for the period 1984-1995 and findevidence that regions may be borrowing inefficiently in response toincentives imbedded in the Spanish system of fiscal decentralization.