Um estudo de caso sobre servitização e nacionalização em um fabricante de hardware elétrico

A presente dissertação tem como principais características, a pesquisa, a análise e a proposição de um modelo de reflexão que considera os fatores mais relevantes na inclusão do processo de prestação de serviços em empresas de manufatura de bens, e em particular de empresas que buscam a nacionalização de sua capacidade de fornecimento. Dentro deste conceito de transição e incorporação de serviços, que é denominado pela literatura como “servitização”, e usando como objeto de pesquisa uma empresa fabricante de hardware elétrico, verificou-se como se deu o planejamento e execução da servitização para prestação de serviços técnicos off-shore, ligados à cadeia de suprimentos do segmento de Produção de Óleo e Gás no mar. Para auxiliar o entendimento sobre o posicionamento da empresa perante serviços, servitização e nacionalização, foi necessária a revisão bibliográfica sobre Requisitos de Conteúdo Local, Gestão de Operações em Serviços, Sistemas Produto-Serviço, Servitização, e Desenvolvimento de Projeto de Produtos e Serviços. A partir da análise de documentação disponibilizada pela empresa, e a comparação desta com a literatura academica revisada, verificou-se que os modelos propostos pela literatura não contém todos os elementos necessários para aplicação direta em negócios deste tipo. Com base nesta avaliação, verifica-se quais os fatores mais relevantes para a servitização e propõe-se um modelo para reflexão. Modelo este que preenche com elementos mais específicos as lacunas que influenciam negativamente na excelência operacional e na estratégia da corporação ligada a indústria de Petróleo e Gás Off-shore.

Encontrando o hardware de LIA

Ilustração componente do jogo “LabTecA (http://www.loa.sead.ufscar.br/labteca.php)” desenvolvido pela equipe do Laboratório de Objetos de Aprendizagem da Universidade Federal de São Carlos (LOA/UFSCar).

Implementação em hardware de uma Rede Neuronal com ummicroprocessador embebido em FPGA

O objectivo deste trabalho é a implementação em hardware de uma Rede Neuronal com um microprocessador embebido, podendo ser um recurso valioso em várias áreas científicas. A importância das implementações em hardware deve-se à flexibilidade, maior desempenho e baixo consumo de energia. Para esta implementação foi utilizado o dispositivo FPGA Virtex II Pro XC2VP30 com um MicroBlaze soft core, da Xilinx. O MicroBlaze tem vantagens como a simplicidade no design, sua reutilização e fácil integração com outras tecnologias. A primeira fase do trabalho consistiu num estudo sobre o FPGA, um sistema reconfigurável que possui características importantes como a capacidade de executar em paralelo tarefas complexas. Em seguida, desenvolveu-se o código de implementação de uma Rede Neuronal Artificial baseado numa linguagem de programação de alto nível. Na implementação da Rede Neuronal aplicou-se, na camada escondida, a função de activação tangente hiperbólica, que serve para fornecer a não linearidade à Rede Neuronal. A implementação é feita usando um tipo de Rede Neuronal que permite apenas ligações no sentido de saída, chamado Redes Neuronais sem realimentação (do Inglês Feedforward Neural Networks - FNN). Como as Redes Neuronais Artificiais são sistemas de processamento de informações, e as suas características são comuns às Redes Neuronais Biológicas, aplicaram-se testes na implementação em hardware e analisou-se a sua importância, a sua eficiência e o seu desempenho. E finalmente, diante dos resultados, fez-se uma análise de abordagem e metodologia adoptada e sua viabilidade.

Gene delivery using dendrimer/pDNA complexes immobilized in electrospun fibers using the layer-by-layer technique

Tissue engineering is an important branch of regenerative medicine that uses cells, materials (scaffolds), and suitable biochemical and physicochemical factors to improve or replace specific biological functions. In particular, the control of cell behavior (namely, of cell adhesion, proliferation and differentiation) is a key aspect for the design of successful therapeutical approaches. In this study, poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA) fiber mats were prepared using the electrospinning technology (the fiber diameters were in the micrometer range). Furthermore, the electrospun fiber mats thus formed were functionalized using the layer-by- layer (LbL) technique with chitosan and alginate (natural and biodegradable polyelectrolytes having opposite charges) as a mean for the immobilization of pDNA/dendrimer complexes. The polyelectrolyte multilayer deposition was confirmed by fluorescence spectroscopy using fluorescent-labeled polyelectrolytes. The electrospun fiber mats coated with chitosan and alginate were successfully loaded with complexes of pDNA and poly(amidoamine) (PAMAM) dendrimers (generation 5) and were able of releasing them in a controlled manner along time. In addition, these mats supported the adhesion and proliferation of NIH 3T3 cells and of human mesenchymal stem cells (hMSCs) in their surface. Transfection experiments using a pDNA encoding for luciferase showed the ability of the electrospun fiber mats to efficiently serve as gene delivery systems. When a pDNA encoding for bone morphogenetic protein-2 (BMP-2) was used, the osteoblastic differentiation of hMSCs cultured on the surface of the mats was promoted. Taken together, the results revealed that merging the electrospinning technique with the LbL technique, can be a suitable methodology for the creation of biological active matrices for bone tissue engineering.

Uma arquitetura distribuída de hardware e software para controle de um robô móvel autônomo

BRITTO, Ricardo S.; MEDEIROS, Adelardo A. D.; ALSINA, Pablo J. Uma arquitetura distribuída de hardware e software para controle de um robô móvel autônomo. In: SIMPÓSIO BRASILEIRO DE AUTOMAÇÃO INTELIGENTE,8., 2007, Florianópolis. Anais... Florianópolis: SBAI, 2007.

Retinal nerve fiber layer analysis using GDx® in 49 patients with chronic phase DUSN

To describe retinal nerve fiber layer changes in late-stage diffuse unilateral subacute neuroretinitis eyes and compare these results with healthy eyes observed through nerve fiber analyzer (GDx®). Methods: This is a retrospective case-control study in which 49 eyes in late-stage diffuse unilateral subacute neuroretinitis were examined from May/97 to December/ 01. First, eyes with diffuse unilateral subacute neuroretinitis and healthy contralateral eyes (Control Group I) were statistically matched. Subsequently, eyes with diffuse unilateral subacute neuroretinitis were compared with eyes of healthy patients (Control Group II). Results: Eyes from Control Groups I and II had higher relative frequency of “within normal limits” status. Eyes from the diffuse unilateral subacute neuroretinitis (DUSN) Group had higher frequency of “outside normal limits” and “borderline” status. Control Groups I and II had absolute values different from the DUSN Group regarding all parameters (p<0.05), except for Symmetry in Control Groups I and II, Average thickness and Superior Integral in control group II. Conclusion: Patients with late-stage diffuse unilateral subacute neuroretinitis presented presumed decrease in nerve fiber layer thickness shown by GDx®. Retinal zones with larger vascular support and larger amount of nerve fibers presented higher decrease in the delay of the reflected light measured by the nerve fiber analyzer

TORP: The Open Robot Project A Framework for Module-Based Robots

The development of robots has shown itself as a very complex interdisciplinary research field. The predominant procedure for these developments in the last decades is based on the assumption that each robot is a fully personalized project, with the direct embedding of hardware and software technologies in robot parts with no level of abstraction. Although this methodology has brought countless benefits to the robotics research, on the other hand, it has imposed major drawbacks: (i) the difficulty to reuse hardware and software parts in new robots or new versions; (ii) the difficulty to compare performance of different robots parts; and (iii) the difficulty to adapt development needs-in hardware and software levels-to local groups expertise. Large advances might be reached, for example, if physical parts of a robot could be reused in a different robot constructed with other technologies by other researcher or group. This paper proposes a framework for robots, TORP (The Open Robot Project), that aims to put forward a standardization in all dimensions (electrical, mechanical and computational) of a robot shared development model. This architecture is based on the dissociation between the robot and its parts, and between the robot parts and their technologies. In this paper, the first specification for a TORP family and the first humanoid robot constructed following the TORP specification set are presented, as well as the advances proposed for their improvement.

Correlations between thermal environment and egg quality of two layer commercial strains

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Genetic parameters for body weight, carcass chemical composition and yield in a broiler-layer cross developed for QTL mapping

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Efficacy of several Salmonella vaccination programs against experimental challenge with Salmonella gallinarum in commercial brown layer and broiler breeder hens

The protective effect of various Salmonella vaccines regimens against an experimental Salmonella Gallinarum challenge (SGNalr strain at 12 wk of age) was evaluated in two experiments. In Experiment 1 commercial brown layers were vaccinated according to one of the following programs: (i) two doses of a SE bacterin (Layermune SE; group 1); (ii) a first dose of a live SG9R vaccine (Cevac SG9R) followed by a SE bacterin (Layermune SE; group 2); (iii) one dose of each of two different multivalent inactivated vaccines containing SE cells (Corymune 4 & Corymune 7; group 3) or (iv) not vaccinated (group 4). In Experiment 2, broiler breeders were given the same vaccination treatments except for the group vaccinated with the multivalent vaccines. Overall, in both experiments, all vaccination schemes were effective in reducing mortality after challenge with a SG field strain. Primary vaccination with an initial dose of a live SG9R vaccine followed some weeks later by a dose of an inactivated SE bacterin was the most effective (p<0.05) vaccination program against mortality induced by field SG experimental challenge in both experiments. In conclusion, Salmonella vaccination programs containing SE bacterins alone or in combination with a live SG9R vaccine are effective in preventing mortality induced by infection of field SG. Nevertheless, it is important to emphasize that any vaccination program against any Salmonella serotype will only be effective if it is part of a sound and comprehensive biosecurity program designed for Salmonella control in poultry farms.

Efficacy of several vaccination programmes in commercial layer and broiler breeder hens against experimental challenge with Salmonella enterica serovar Enteritidis

Two experiments were performed to evaluate the protective effect of various vaccination combinations given at 5 and 9 weeks of age against experimental challenge with Salmonella enterica serovar Enteritidis ( SE) phage type 4 at 12 weeks of age. In Experiment 1, groups of commercial layers were vaccinated by one of the following programmes: Group 1, two doses of a SE bacterin (Layermune SE); Group 2, one dose of a live Salmonella enterica serovar Gallinarum vaccine (Cevac SG9R) followed by one dose of the SE bacterin; Group 3, one dose of each of two different multivalent inactivated vaccines containing SE cells (Corymune 4K and Corymune 7K; and Group 4, unvaccinated, challenged controls. In Experiment 2, groups of broiler breeders were vaccinated by the same programmes as Groups 1 and 2 above while Group 3 was an unvaccinated, challenged control group. All vaccination programmes and the challenge induced significant (P<0.05) seroconversion as measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Overall, in both experiments, all vaccination schemes were significantly effective in reducing organ (spleen, liver and caeca) colonization by the challenge strain as well as reducing faecal excretion for at least 3 weeks. Vaccinated layers in Groups 1 and 2 and broiler breeders in Group 2 showed the greatest reduction in organ colonization and the least faecal excretion. In Experiment 1, layers vaccinated with multivalent inactivated vaccines containing a SE component (Group 3) were only moderately protected, indicating that such a vaccination programme may be useful in farms with good husbandry and housing conditions and low environmental infectious pressure by Salmonella.

Relationship of black layer and milk line development on maize seed maturity

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Co-accumulation of microbial residues and particulate organic matter in the surface layer of a no-till Oxisol under different crops

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Sunflower meal in commercial layer diets formulated on total and digestible amino acids basis

An experiment was conduced to evaluate the inclusion of sunflower meal (SBM) in commercial layer diets formulated on total or digestible amino acids basis. One hundred forty-four 41-week-old Lohmann LSL layers were distributed in a completely randomized experimental design in a 2 x 4 factorial arrangement with three replications of six birds each. Treatments consisted of a combination of four SBM inclusion levels SBM(0%, 4%, 8%, and 12%) and feed formulation according two amino acid recommendations (total or digestible). The experimental period was divided into five periods of fourteen days. Performance parameters (egg production, feed intake, feed conversion, egg mass) were evaluated for each period. In the last two days of each period, three eggs per replication were collected to evaluate egg quality (Haugh units, specific gravity, egg weight, eggshell thickness, and eggshell percentage). Hens fed on total amino acid recommendation presented the highest values for egg weight. Diets formulated on digestible amino acids basis showed an improvement in eggshell percentage and egg specific gravity. SBM addition in commercial layer diets did not influence performance; however, increasing SBM dietary levels SBM improved eggshell quality.