Running in the Family – Paternalism and Familiness in the Development of Family Businesses

The study focuses on two features of family businesses (FBs), namely familiness and paternalism. These two concepts are inseparable in two ways: inseparable from family businesses and also from each other. Family businesses differ from one another in the degree of family involvement, leadership and management in the business. Paternalism as a leadership attitude is naturally present in FBs, especially in the founding stage of development. This feature provides the solid bases for establishing a strong and proud culture built around the personality and success of the founder. This characteristic however can become a major hindering factor upon succession. Through a review of the literature and the INSIST studies for Central Europe this study aims to identify the supportive and limiting factors of both phenomena and examine the case studies of the INSIST research project for signs of the existence of these supportive and limiting factors. It is found that the degree of familiness in these firms is a sliding scale and a lack of familiness is not a precursor for failure. Paternalism is found to be broken down into authoritarian, benevolent, moral and enlightened. After discovering studies claiming that paternalism is a stage in the process of leadership style changing from participative to autocratic (or vice versa) and that Central Europe and the current era of instability and uncertainty lead to employees preferring a more autocratic or paternalistic style, our findings suggest that there are more driving than restraining forces for family firms adopting a paternalistic style. Furthermore many cases appear to be on the path from an authoritative towards a more enlightened paternalistic leadership style either out of choice in the search to shake off the drawbacks of other types of paternalism or as part of a natural evolution of this particular leadership style within the context of this study.

MobiMed: Framework for Rapid Application Development of Medical Mobile Apps

In the medical field images obtained from high definition cameras and other medical imaging systems are an integral part of medical diagnosis. The analysis of these images are usually performed by the physicians who sometimes need to spend long hours reviewing the images before they are able to come up with a diagnosis and then decide on the course of action. In this dissertation we present a framework for a computer-aided analysis of medical imagery via the use of an expert system. While this problem has been discussed before, we will consider a system based on mobile devices. Since the release of the iPhone on April 2003, the popularity of mobile devices has increased rapidly and our lives have become more reliant on them. This popularity and the ease of development of mobile applications has now made it possible to perform on these devices many of the image analyses that previously required a personal computer. All of this has opened the door to a whole new set of possibilities and freed the physicians from their reliance on their desktop machines. The approach proposed in this dissertation aims to capitalize on these new found opportunities by providing a framework for analysis of medical images that physicians can utilize from their mobile devices thus remove their reliance on desktop computers. We also provide an expert system to aid in the analysis and advice on the selection of medical procedure. Finally, we also allow for other mobile applications to be developed by providing a generic mobile application development framework that allows for access of other applications into the mobile domain. In this dissertation we outline our work leading towards development of the proposed methodology and the remaining work needed to find a solution to the problem. In order to make this difficult problem tractable, we divide the problem into three parts: the development user interface modeling language and tooling, the creation of a game development modeling language and tooling, and the development of a generic mobile application framework. In order to make this problem more manageable, we will narrow down the initial scope to the hair transplant, and glaucoma domains.

Development of a framework to create plugins in Android Apps

The present work aims to allow developers to implement small features on a certain Android application in a fast and easy manner, as well as provide their users to install them ondemand, i.e., they can install the ones they are interested in. These small packages of features are called plugins, and the chosen development language to develop these in was JavaScript. In order to achieve that, an Android framework was developed that enables the host application to install, manage and run these plugins at runtime. This framework was designed to have a very clean and almost readable API, which allowed for better code organization and maintainability. The implementation used the Google’s engine “V8” to interpret the JavaScript code and through a set of JNI calls made that code call certain Android methods previously registered in the runtime. In order to test the framework, it was integrated with the client’s communication application RCS+ using two plugins developed alongside the framework. Although these plugins had only the more common requirements, they were proven to work successfully as intended. Concluding, the framework although successful made it clear that this kind of development through a non-native API has its set of difficulties especially regarding the implementation of complex features.

Implications of Blockchain-Based Smart Contracts on Contract Law

Smart contracts are the most advanced blockchain applications. They can also be used in the contractual domain for the encoding and automatic execution of contract terms. Smart contracts already existed before the blockchain, but they take advantage of the characteristics of that technology. Namely, the decentralised and immutable characters of the blockchain determine that no single contracting party can control, modify, or interrupt the execution of smart contracts. As every new phenomenon, blockchain-based smart contracts have attracted the attention of institutions. For example, in its Resolution of 3 October 2018 on distributed ledger technologies and blockchain, the European Parliament has stressed the need to undertake an in-depth assessment of the legal implications,starting from the analysis of existing legal frameworks. Indeed, the present research thesis aims to verify how blockchain-based smart contracts fit into contract law. To this end, the analysis starts from the most discussed and relevant aspects and develops further considerations. Before that, it provides a detailed description and clarifications about the characteristics, the functioning, and the development of the technology, which is an essential starting point for a high-level quality legal analysis. It takes into considerations already existing rules concerning the use of technology in the life cycle of contracts, from vending machines to computable contracts, and verifies its applicability to blockchain-based smart contracts. The work does not limit to consider the mere technology, but some concrete scenarios of adoption of blockchain-based smart contracts in the contractual domain. Starting from the latter, it focuses on the implications of blockchain-based smart contracts on contract formation, contract performance, and applicable law and jurisdiction.

Development and food security in africa from the 1960s to 2010s: the case of Ethiopia

Persistent food insecurity and famines have continued to significantly shape the development policies of Ethiopia for decades. Over the decades, frequent famines caused not only the death of hundreds of thousands of victims but also significantly contributed to two revolutions that swept away the Haile Selassie and Derg regimes, as well as significantly taxing the legitimacy of the incumbent regime. As a result, agriculture and food security have become increasingly the top policy priorities for all political regimes in Ethiopia. However, the development policies of the ruling elites of Ethiopia have consistently failed to transform backward agriculture and ensure food security. The failures of the development policies of the Ethiopian governments over the years were attributed to several factors. Ethiopian authoritarian politics, centralized rule with a lack of transparency and accountability; the isolation of peasants from the development and governance process, and the lack of coherent agricultural development strategies that invest in peasant agriculture and create synergy among sectors are identified as key issues that have contributed to the persistence of food insecurity in the country. The literature on the failure of Ethiopia's political regimes to address food insecurity and famine has two major gaps that this study aims to fill. First, the cumulative and path-dependent food security and agricultural development policy environment were not adequately considered. Second, the strategy of extraversion by subsequent political regimes to use external support as a relief to prevent the famine-induced political crisis. This study used a mixed approach to collect data and present the evolution of the interplays of development policies and food security in three regimes within the context of international food security discourses. This study found out how the historical patterns of approaches of Ethiopia’s regimes to development and governance led to frequent famines and persistent food insecurity.

Innovation in aquaculture. Modeling the adoption and implementation processes of innovations in the Italian aquaculture sector

Since the turn of the century, fisheries have maintained a steady growth rate, while aquaculture has experienced a more rapid expansion. Aquaculture can offer EU consumers more diverse, healthy, and sustainable food options, some of which are more popular elsewhere. To develop the sector, the EU is investing heavily. The EU supports innovative projects that promote the sustainable development of seafood sectors and food security. Priority 3 promotes sector development through innovation dissemination. This doctoral dissertation examined innovation transfer in the Italian aquaculture sector, specifically the adoption of innovative tools, using a theoretical model to better understand the complexity of these processes. The work focused on innovation adoption, emphasising that it is the end of a well-defined process. The Awareness Knowledge Adoption Implementation Effectiveness (AKAIE) model was created to better analyse post-adoption phases and evaluate technology adoption implementation and impact. To identify AKAIE drivers and barriers, aquaculture actors were consulted. "Perceived complexity"—barriers to adoption that are strongly influenced by contextual factors—has been used to examine their perspectives (i.e. socio-economic, institutional, cultural ones). The new model will contextualise the sequence based on technologies, entrepreneur traits, corporate and institutional contexts, and complexity perception, the sequence's central node. Technology adoption can also be studied by examining complexity perceptions along the AKAIE sequence. This study proposes a new model to evaluate the diffusion of a given technology, offering the policy maker the possibility to be able to act promptly across the process. The development of responsible policies for evaluating the effectiveness of innovation is more necessary than ever, especially to orient strategies and interventions in the face of major scenarios of change.

Radiocarbon and stable isotopes in the shell organic matrix: a new approach for the use of mollusk shells in the study of human evolution

Mollusk shells are often found in archeological sites, given their great preservation potential and high value as a multipurpose resource. They are often the only available material to use for radiocarbon dating, due to a lack of well-preserved bones in many archeological sites, especially for the key period of the Middle to Upper Paleolithic transition. However, radiocarbon dating on mollusk shells is often regarded as less reliable compared to bones, wood, or charcoals due to the various factors influencing their radiocarbon content (e.g., Isotope fractionation, marine reservoir effect etc.). For the development of more accurate chronologies using shells, it is fundamental to continue improving the precision of the techniques applied, as has been done for other materials (wood and bones). Thus, improving the chemical pretreatment on mollusk shells might allow researchers to obtain more reliable radiocarbon determinations allowing for the construction of new radiocarbon chronologies in archeological sites where so far it has not been possible. Furthermore, mollusk shells can provide information on the climatic and environmental variables present during their growth. Using shells for paleoclimatic reconstruction adds more evidence helpful for the interpretation of scenarios of human migration, adaptation, and behavior. Standard methods for both radiocarbon and stable isotope studies use the carbonate fraction of the shell. However, being biogenic structures, mollusk shells also consist of a minor organic fraction. The shell organic matrix has an important role in the formation of the calcium carbonate structure and is still not fully understood. This thesis explores the potential of using the shell organic matrix for radiocarbon dating and paleoenvironmental studies. The results of the work performed for this thesis represent a starting point for future research to build on, and further develop the approach and methodology proposed here.

Developmental Rate Of Immatures Of Two Fly Species Of Forensic Importance: Sarcophaga (liopygia) Ruficornis And Microcerella Halli (diptera: Sarcophagidae).

Since insect species are poikilothermic organisms, they generally exhibit different growth patterns depending on the temperature at which they develop. This factor is important in forensic entomology, especially for estimating postmortem interval (PMI) when it is based on the developmental time of the insects reared in decomposing bodies. This study aimed to estimate the rates of development, viability, and survival of immatures of Sarcophaga (Liopygia) ruficornis (Fabricius 1794) and Microcerella halli (Engel 1931) (Diptera: Sarcophagidae) reared in different temperatures: 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, and 35 ± 1 °C. Bovine raw ground meat was offered as food for all experimental groups, each consisting of four replicates, in the proportion of 2 g/larva. To measure the evolution of growth, ten specimens of each group were randomly chosen and weighed every 12 h, from initial feeding larva to pupae, and then discarded. Considering the records of weight gain, survival rates, and stability of growth rates, the range of optimum temperature for the development of S. (L.) ruficornis is between 20 and 35 °C, and that of M. halli is between 20 and 25 °C. For both species, the longest times of development were in the lowest temperatures. The survival rate at extreme temperatures (10 and 35 °C) was lower in both species. Biological data such as the ones obtained in this study are of great importance to achieve a more accurate estimate of the PMI.

Acute psychotic disorders induced by topiramate: report of two cases

We report on two epileptic patients who developed acute psychosis after the use of topiramate (TPM). One patient exhibited severe psychomotor agitation, heteroaggressiveness, auditory and visual hallucinations as well as severe paranoid and mystic delusions. The other patient had psychomotor agitation, depersonalization, derealization, severe anxiety and deluded that he was losing his memory. Both patients had to be taken to the casualty room. After interruption of TPM in one patient and reduction of dose in the other, a full remission of the psychotic symptoms was obtained without the need of antipsychotic drugs. Clinicians should be aware of the possibility of development of acute psychotic symptoms in patients undergoing TPM treatment.

The role of γ -aminobutyric acid (Gaba) in somatic embryogenesis of Acca sellowiana Berg. (Myrtaceae)

The γ-aminobutyric acid (Gaba) is a non-protein amino acid found in prokaryotes and eukaryotes. Its role in plant development has not been fully established. This study reports a quantification of the levels of endogenous Gaba, as well as investigation of its role in different stages of somatic embryogenesis in Acca sellowiana Berg. (Myrtaceae). Zygotic embryos were used as explants and they were inoculated into the culture medium contained different concentrations of Gaba (0,2, 4, 6, 8 and 10 µM). The highest concentrations of endogenous Gaba were detected between the third and nine days after inoculation, reaching the value of 12.77 µmol.g-1FW. High frequency of somatic embryogenesis was observed in response to 10 µM Gaba. This treatment also resulted in a large number of normal embryos, and the lowest percentage of formation of fused somatic embryos, phenotypic characteristic of most deformed embryos in all treatments. Also, all treatments promoted the formation of the somatic embryos with positive characteristics of development resumption, which however did not originate the seedlings.

Physiological and biochemical characterization of the assai palm (Euterpe oleracea Mart.) during seed germination and seedling growth under aerobic and anaerobic conditions

Physiological and biochemical aspects of assai palm during seed germination and early seedling growth were investigated. Seeds collected from plants growing in flooded and upland forests were used to determine the influence of normoxic (aerobic) and anoxic (anaerobic) conditions in germination and the initial and average time of development in the roots and shoots. After 75 days, seedlings germinated under normoxia were transferred to trays and submitted to flooding. Seed reserves (lipids, proteins, soluble sugars and starch) were monitored for quiescent and germinated seeds maintained under normoxic and anoxic conditions, as well as after 5, 10 and 20 days of seedling growth. Alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH) activity was quantified in roots and leaves of seedlings without or with flooding (partial and total). Seeds were not able to germinate under anoxia. Different strategies of storage mobilization of lipids, proteins, soluble sugars and starch were observed in seeds of each environment. ADH activity was induced by anoxia, with the highest level observed in the leaves. This study showed that, under normoxic conditions, the best developmental performance of assai palm seeds, from flooded or upland forest areas, during germination was associated with primary metabolites mobilization and seedling flooding tolerance with increased ADH activity. We conclude that the assai palm is well adapted to the anoxic conditions provoked by flooding.

Alpha element abundances and gradients in the Milky Way bulge from FLAMES-GIRAFFE spectra of 650 K giants

Aims. We present the analysis of the [alpha/Fe] abundance ratios for a large number of stars at several locations in the Milky Way bulge with the aim of constraining its formation scenario. Methods. We obtained FLAMES-GIRAFFE spectra (R = 22 500) at the ESO Very Large Telescope for 650 bulge red giant branch (RGB) stars and performed spectral synthesis to measure Mg, Ca, Ti, and Si abundances. This sample is composed of 474 giant stars observed in 3 fields along the minor axis of the Galactic bulge and at latitudes b = -4 degrees, b = -6 degrees, b = -12 degrees. Another 176 stars belong to a field containing the globular cluster NGC 6553, located at b = -3 degrees and 5 degrees away from the other three fields along the major axis. Stellar parameters and metallicities for these stars were presented in Zoccali et al. (2008, A&A, 486, 177). We have also re-derived stellar parameters and abundances for the sample of thick and thin disk red giants analyzed in Alves-Brito et al. (2010, A&A, 513, A35). Therefore using a homogeneous abundance database for the bulge, thick and thin disk, we have performed a differential analysis minimizing systematic errors, to compare the formation scenarios of these Galactic components. Results. Our results confirm, with large number statistics, the chemical similarity between the Galactic bulge and thick disk, which are both enhanced in alpha elements when compared to the thin disk. In the same context, we analyze [alpha/Fe] vs. [Fe/H] trends across different bulge regions. The most metal rich stars, showing low [alpha/Fe] ratios at b = -4 degrees disappear at higher Galactic latitudes in agreement with the observed metallicity gradient in the bulge. Metal-poor stars ([Fe/H] < -0.2) show a remarkable homogeneity at different bulge locations. Conclusions. We have obtained further constrains for the formation scenario of the Galactic bulge. A metal-poor component chemically indistinguishable from the thick disk hints for a fast and early formation for both the bulge and the thick disk. Such a component shows no variation, neither in abundances nor kinematics, among different bulge regions. A metal-rich component showing low [alpha/Fe] similar to those of the thin disk disappears at larger latitudes. This allows us to trace a component formed through fast early mergers (classical bulge) and a disk/bar component formed on a more extended timescale.

THE SPECTRAL EVOLUTION AND EJECTA OF RECURRENT NOVA U Sco IN THE 2010 OUTBURST

Synoptic spectroscopic observations of the U Sco 2010 outburst from maximum light to quiescence as well as a contemporaneous X-ray observation are presented and analyzed. The X-ray spectrum 52 days after outburst indicates a hot source ( kT(bb) similar to 70 eV). Narrow-line components from the irradiated companion atmosphere were observed in hydrogen and helium optical recombination lines. The formation of a nebular spectrum is seen for the first time in this class of recurrent novae, allowing a detailed study of the ejecta using photoionization models. Unusual [O III] auroral-to-nebular line ratios were found and possible scenarios of their origin are discussed. The modeling of the emission line spectrum suggests highly heterogeneous ejecta with masses around or above 3 x 10(-6) M(sun).

Nitrogen dynamics during ecosystem development in tropical forest restoration

We considered whether ecological restoration using high diversity of native tree species serves to restore nitrogen dynamics in the Brazilian Atlantic Forest. We measured delta(15)N and N content in green foliage and soil; vegetation N:P ratio; and soil N mineralization in a preserved natural forest and restored forests of ages 21 and 52 years. Green foliage delta(15)N values, N content, N:P ratio, inorganic N and net mineralization and nitrification rates were all higher, the older the forest. Our findings indicate that the recuperation of N cycling has not been achieved yet in the restored forests even after 52 years, but show that they are following a trajectory of development that is characterized by their N cycling intensity becoming similar to a natural mature forest of the same original forest formation. This study demonstrated that some young restored forests are more limited by N compared to mature natural forests. We document that the recuperation of N cycling in tropical forests can be achieved through ecological restoration actions. (C) 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Greenhouse gas emissions from alternative futures of deforestation and agricultural management in the southern Amazon

The Brazilian Amazon is one of the most rapidly developing agricultural areas in the world and represents a potentially large future source of greenhouse gases from land clearing and subsequent agricultural management. In an integrated approach, we estimate the greenhouse gas dynamics of natural ecosystems and agricultural ecosystems after clearing in the context of a future climate. We examine scenarios of deforestation and postclearing land use to estimate the future (2006-2050) impacts on carbon dioxide (CO(2)), methane (CH(4)), and nitrous oxide (N(2)O) emissions from the agricultural frontier state of Mato Grosso, using a process-based biogeochemistry model, the Terrestrial Ecosystems Model (TEM). We estimate a net emission of greenhouse gases from Mato Grosso, ranging from 2.8 to 15.9 Pg CO(2)-equivalents (CO(2)-e) from 2006 to 2050. Deforestation is the largest source of greenhouse gas emissions over this period, but land uses following clearing account for a substantial portion (24-49%) of the net greenhouse gas budget. Due to land-cover and land-use change, there is a small foregone carbon sequestration of 0.2-0.4 Pg CO(2)-e by natural forests and cerrado between 2006 and 2050. Both deforestation and future land-use management play important roles in the net greenhouse gas emissions of this frontier, suggesting that both should be considered in emissions policies. We find that avoided deforestation remains the best strategy for minimizing future greenhouse gas emissions from Mato Grosso.