Simulation of growth and development of irrigated cowpea in Piauí State by CROPGRO model

The objective of this work was to adapt the CROPGRO model, which is part of the DSSAT system, for simulating the cowpea (Vigna unguiculata) growth and development under soil and climate conditions of the Baixo Parnaíba region, Piauí State, Brazil. In the CROPGRO, only input parameters that define crop species, cultivars, and ecotype were changed in order to characterize the cowpea crop. Soil and climate files were created for the considered site. Field experiments without water deficit were used to calibrate the model. In these experiments, dry matter (DM), leaf area index (LAI), yield components and grain yield of cowpea (cv. BR 14 Mulato) were evaluated. The results showed good fit for DM and LAI estimates. The medium values of R² and medium absolute error (MAE) were, respectively, 0.95 and 264.9 kg ha-1 for DM, and 0.97 and 0.22 for LAI. The difference between observed and simulated values of plant phenology varied from 0 to 3 days. The model also presented good performance for yield components simulation, excluding 100-grain weight, for which the error ranged from 20.9% to 34.3%. Considering the medium values of crop yield in two years, the model presented an error from 5.6%.

Enhancing absorptive capacity in a non-research and development. An action research approach to converting individual observations into organisational awareness

The ability to recognize potential knowledge and convert it into business opportunities is one of the key factors of renewal in uncertain environments. This thesis examines absorptive capacity in the context of non-research and development innovation, with a primary focus on the social interaction that facilitates the absorption of knowledge. It proposes that everyone is and should be entitled to take part in the social interaction that shapes individual observations into innovations. Both innovation and absorptive capacity have been traditionally related to research and development departments and institutions. These innovations need to be adopted and adapted by others. This so-called waterfall model of innovations is only one aspect of new knowledge generation and innovation. In addition to this Science–Technology–Innovation perspective, more attention has been recently paid to the Doing–Using–Interacting mode of generating new knowledge and innovations. The amount of literature on absorptive capacity is vast, yet the concept is reified. The greater part of the literature links absorptive capacity to research and development departments. Some publications have focused on the nature of absorptive capacity in practice and the role of social interaction in enhancing it. Recent literature on absorptive capacity calls for studies that shed light on the relationship between individual absorptive capacity and organisational absorptive capacity. There has also been a call to examine absorptive capacity in non-research and development environments. Drawing on the literature on employee-driven innovation and social capital, this thesis looks at how individual observations and ideas are converted into something that an organisation can use. The critical phases of absorptive capacity, during which the ideas of individuals are incorporated into a group context, are assimilation and transformation. These two phases are seen as complementary: whereas assimilation is the application of easy-to-accept knowledge, transformation challenges the current way of thinking. The two require distinct kinds of social interaction and practices. The results of this study can been crystallised thus: “Enhancing absorptive capacity in practicebased non-research and development context is to organise the optimal circumstances for social interaction. Every individual is a potential source of signals leading to innovations. The individual, thus, recognises opportunities and acquires signals. Through the social interaction processes of assimilation and transformation, these signals are processed into the organisation’s reality and language. The conditions of creative social capital facilitate the interplay between assimilation and transformation. An organisation that strives for employee-driven innovation gains the benefits of a broader surface for opportunity recognition and faster absorption.” If organisations and managers become more aware of the benefits of enhancing absorptive capacity in practice, they have reason to assign resources to those practices that facilitate the creation of absorptive capacity. By recognising the underlying social mechanisms and structural features that lead either to assimilation or transformation, it is easier to balance between renewal and effective operations.

Development according to pubertal stage in Brazilian children and adolescents with short-term diabetes

The anthropometric status and metabolic control of 51 recently diagnosed Brazilian schoolchildren with type 1 diabetes (DM1), during the first 5 years of the disease, were compared with those of normal children (60 girls and 132 boys) belonging to the same environmental condition and pubertal stage. Metabolic control was evaluated on the basis of fasting plasma glucose (FPG) and HbA1c levels. The criteria of the National Center for Health Statistics were used for anthropometric evaluation. FPG (205 ± 51 mg/dl for girls vs 200 ± 34 mg/dl for boys) and % above upper normal limit of median HbA1c (1.8% for girls vs 2.5% for boys with diabetes) were not significantly different during follow-up. The Z-score of the last height evaluation was lower in the girls' group (-0.14 vs -0.53, P<0.05). By forward stepwise analysis, the Z-score of the initial height was statistically significant as a determinant factor for height at the end of the study in both girls and boys with DM1. The Z-score of weight at last evaluation was not different from that at diagnosis in either sex. However, analysis according to pubertal stage showed a tendency to a weight increase in the girls. The weight recovery and height loss in girls with DM1 follows the trend of the normal Brazilian population.

Supplier segmentation and development in project business

The purpose of this study was to expand the applicability of supplier segmentation and development approaches to the project-driven construction industry. These practices are less exploited and not well documented in this operational environment compared to the process-centric manufacturing industry. At first, portfolio models to supply base segmentation and various supplier development efforts were investigated in literature review. A step-wise framework was structured for the empirical research. The empirical study employed multiple research methods in three case studies in a large Finnish construction company. The first study categorized the construction item classes into the purchasing portfolio and positioned suppliers to the power matrix by investigating buyer-supplier relations. Using statistical tests, the study also identified factors that affect suppliers’ performance. The final case study identified improvement areas of the interface between a main contractor and one if its largest suppliers. The final results indicate that only by assessing the supply base in a holistic manner and the power circumstances in it, buyers comprehend how to best establish appropriate supplier development strategies in the project environment.

A decade of research and development in disability, virtual reality and associated technologies: review of ICDVRAT 1996−2006

The International Conference (series) on Disability, Virtual Reality and Associated Technologies (ICDVRAT) this year held its sixth biennial conference, celebrating ten years of research and development in this field. A total of 220 papers have been presented at the first six conferences, addressing potential, development, exploration and examination of how these technologies can be applied in disabilities research and practice. The research community is broad and multi-disciplined, comprising a variety of scientific and medical researchers, rehabilitation therapists, educators and practitioners. Likewise, technologies, their applications and target user populations are also broad, ranging from sensors positioned on real world objects to fully immersive interactive simulated environments. A common factor is the desire to identify what the technologies have to offer and how they can provide added value to existing methods of assessment, rehabilitation and support for individuals with disabilities. This paper presents a brief review of the first decade of research and development in the ICDVRAT community, defining technologies, applications and target user populations served.

Issues in language and development in multilingual settings: a case-study of knowledge exchange and teacher education in South Africa

The quality of a country’s human-resource base can be said to determine its level of success in social and economic development. This study focuses on some␣of the major human-resource development issues that surround the implementation of South Africa’s policy of multilingualism in education. It begins by discussing the relationship between knowledge, language, and human-resource, social and economic development within the global cultural economy. It then considers the situation in South Africa and, in particular, the implications of that country’s colonial and neo-colonial past for attempts to implement the new policy. Drawing on the linguistic-diversity-in-education debate in the United Kingdom of the past three decades, it assesses the first phase of an in-service teacher-education programme that was carried out at the Project for Alternative Education in South Africa (PRAESA) based at the University of Cape Town. The authors identify key short- and long-term issues related to knowledge exchange in education in multilingual societies, especially concerning the use of African languages as mediums for teaching and learning.

Latin America and the Caribbean in the World Economy 2002-2003

Includes bibliography

Latin America and the Caribbean in the World Economy 1999-2000

Includes bibliography

Sustainable development 20 years on from the earth summit: progress, gaps and strategic guidelines for Latin America and the Caribbean

Includes bibliography

Proposed regional agenda on population and development for Latin America and the Caribbean beyond 2014

The document revisits, broadens and updates the discussions contained in ECLAC documents Input for the preparation of a regional agenda for the Programme of Action of the International Conference on Population and Development: towards 2014 and beyond (LC/L.3219(CEP.2010/4)), of 2010, and Reflections on the population and development agenda for Latin America and the Caribbean beyond 2014 (LC/L.3481(CEP.2/5)), of 2012..

Public-private partnerships in renewable energy in Latin America and the Caribbean

Incluye Bibliografía

Macroeconomic volatility and social vulnerability in Brazil: the Cardoso government (1995-2002) and perspectives

Includes bibliography

Comparison between the six-minute walk test and the six-minute step test in post stroke patients

Background: The Stroke remains one of the major chronic diseases worldwide, and is considered a major cause of disability, which results not only in persistent neurological deficits, but also in the high physical deconditioning, nevertheless there are not many forms of assessing functional capacity in this population. We aimed to investigate the feasibility of the Six Minute Walk Teste and the Six-Minute Step Test (6MST) in post-stroke patients and compare the behavior of physiological variables during the 6MST and the Six-Minute Walk Test (6MWT), by correlating the functional performance obtained in both tests. Method. The 6MWT was carried out according to the American Thoracic Society (ATS) and the 6MST was performed in six minutes in order to compare it to the 6MWT in a 20 cm step. Was included post-stroke individuals able to walk without aid. All of them did the 6MWT and the 6MST. Results: 12 patients participated in the study. There was no statistical difference in the parameters analyzed when tests were compared. There was poor correlation between the functional performance in both tests. Conclusion: The 6MWT and the 6MST is feasible for post-stroke patients and physiological responses are equal during the performance of both tests. However, there was no correlation with respect to functional performance, which was assessed by the distance walked in the 6MWT and by the number of steps climbed in the 6MST. © 2013 da Silva et al.; licensee BioMed Central Ltd.

Report of the ECLAC Ad Hoc Committee on Population and Development and resolution 670(XXXIV) Ad Hoc Committee on Population and Development of the Economic Commision for Latin America and the Caribbean (Rev.1)

Includes bibliography