Geographic variation in the frequency of isolation and fluconazole and voriconazole susceptibilities of Candida glabrata: an assessment from the ARTEMIS DISK Global Antifungal Surveillance Program.

Geographic differences in frequency and azole resistance among Candida glabrata may impact empiric antifungal therapy choice. We examined geographic variation in isolation and azole susceptibility of C. glabrata. We examined 23 305 clinical isolates of C. glabrata during ARTEMIS DISK global surveillance. Susceptibility testing to fluconazole and voriconazole was assessed by disk diffusion, and the results were grouped by geographic location: North America (NA) (2470 isolates), Latin America (LA) (2039), Europe (EU) (12 439), Africa and the Middle East (AME) (728), and Asia-Pacific (AP) (5629). Overall, C. glabrata accounted for 11.6% of 201 653 isolates of Candida and varied as a proportion of all Candida isolated from 7.4% in LA to 21.1% in NA. Decreased susceptibility (S) to fluconazole was observed in all geographic regions and ranged from 62.8% in AME to 76.7% in LA. Variation in fluconazole susceptibility was observed within each region: AP (range, 50-100% S), AME (48-86.9%), EU (44.8-88%), LA (43-92%), and NA (74.5-91.6%). Voriconazole was more active than fluconazole (range, 82.3-84.2% S) with similar regional variation. Among 22 sentinel sites participating in ARTEMIS from 2001 through 2007 (84 140 total isolates, 8163 C. glabrata), the frequency of C. glabrata isolation increased in 14 sites and the frequency of fluconazole resistance (R) increased in 11 sites over the 7-year period of study. The sites with the highest cumulative rates of fluconazole R were in Poland (22% R), the Czech Republic (27% R), Venezuela (27% R), and Greece (33% R). C. glabrata was most often isolated from blood, normally sterile body fluids and urine. There is substantial geographic and institutional variation in both frequency of isolation and azole resistance among C. glabrata. Prompt species identification and fluconazole susceptibility testing are necessary to optimize therapy for invasive candidiasis.

Global Prospects for Dairy in Argentina and Chile: Evidence from Field Visits and Model Simulations, August 2006

We assess the international competitiveness of the dairy industries in Argentina and Chile, combining recent market intelligence gathered from field visits with quantitative simulations of global policy reform scenarios. Both countries exhibit strong potential for export growth but face significant internal and external barriers to expanding their dairy industries. Global policy reforms would resolve some of the international obstacles to their expansion. Argentina has great potential, but it is handicapped by its current macroeconomic policies, trade policy distortions, and the uncertainty associated with policy implementation. Chile is more limited in terms of natural capacity for expansion, but it has a positive trade and investment environment.

Hormonal, global, and regional haemodynamic responses to a vascular antagonist of vasopressin in patients with congestive heart failure with and without hyponatraemia.

The pathophysiological role of an increase in circulating vasopressin in sustaining global and regional vasoconstriction in patients with congestive heart failure has not been established, particularly in patients with hyponatraemia. To assess this further, 20 patients with congestive heart failure refractory to digoxin and diuretics were studied before and 60 minutes after the intravenous injection (5 micrograms/kg) of the vascular antagonist of vasopressin [1(beta-mercapto-beta,beta-cyclopentamethylene-propionic acid), 2-(0-methyl) tyrosine] arginine vasopressin. Ten patients were hyponatraemic (plasma sodium less than 135 mmol/l) and 10 were normonatraemic. In both groups of patients the vascular vasopressin antagonist did not alter systemic or pulmonary artery pressures, right atrial pressure, pulmonary capillary wedge pressure, cardiac index, or vascular resistances. Furthermore, there was no change in skin and hepatic blood flow in either group after the injection of the vascular antagonist. Only one patient in the hyponatraemic group showed considerable haemodynamic improvement. He had severe congestive heart failure and a high concentration of plasma vasopressin (51 pmol/l). Plasma renin activity, vasopressin, or catecholamine concentrations were not significantly changed in response to the administration of the vasopressin antagonist in either the hyponatraemic or the normonatraemic groups. Patients with hyponatraemia, however, had higher baseline plasma catecholamine concentrations, heart rate, pulmonary pressure and resistance, and lower hepatic blood flow than patients without hyponatraemia. Plasma vasopressin and plasma renin activity were slightly, though not significantly, higher in the hyponatraemic group. Thus the role of vasopressin in sustaining regional or global vasoconstriction seems limited in patients with congestive heart failure whether or not concomitant hyponatraemia is present. Vasopressin significantly increases the vascular tone only in rare patients with severe congestive heart failure and considerably increased vasopressin concentrations. Patients with hyponatraemia do, however, have raised baseline catecholamine concentrations, heart rate, pulmonary arterial pressure and resistance, and decreased hepatic blood flow.

RELATÓRIO GLOBAL DE SEGUIMENTO DA EXECUÇÃO DA ESTRATÉGIA DE CRESCIMENTO E DE REDUÇÃO DA POBREZA DECRP II

DIRECÇÃO NACIONAL DO PLANEAMENTO

The Alps Vegetation Database - a geo-referenced community-level archive of all terrestrial plants occurring in the Alps.

Mountain ranges are biodiversity hotspots worldwide and provide refuge to many organisms under contemporary climate change. Gathering field information on mountain biodiversity over time is of primary importance to understand the response of biotic communities to climate changes. For plants, several long-term observation sites and networks of mountain biodiversity are emerging worldwide to gather field data and monitor altitudinal range shifts and community composition changes under contemporary climate change. Most of these monitoring sites, however, focus on alpine ecosystems and mountain summits, such as the global observation research initiative in alpine environments (GLORIA). Here we describe the Alps Vegetation Database, a comprehensive community level archive (GIVD ID EU-00-014) which aims at compiling all available geo-referenced vegetation plots from lowland forests to alpine grasslands across the greatest mountain range in Europe: the Alps. This research initiative was funded between 2008 and 2011 by the Danish Council for Independent Research and was part of a larger project to compare cross-scale plant community structure between the Alps and the Scandes. The Alps Vegetation Database currently harbours 35,731 geo-referenced vegetation plots and 5,023 valid taxa across Mediterranean, temperate and alpine environments. The data are mainly used by the main contributors of the Alps Vegetation Database in an ecoinformatics approach to test hypotheses related to plant macroecology and biogeography, but external proposals for joint collaborations are welcome.

Importância da normalização contabilística na análise económica e financeira da empresa

O presente trabalho tem como objectivo demonstrar a importância da normalização contabilística para a análise da informação financeira, tendo em conta o meio envolvente em que, hoje, as empresas encontram-se inseridas. As mudanças que ocorreram na economia global levou a que as empresas passassem a adoptar novas formas de elaborar o reporte financeiro como forma de acompanhar essa evolução. A harmonização contabilística, surge neste contexto, como forma de reduzir as diferenças existentes no relato financeiro dos vários países. Nesse sentido o trabalho abordará as várias iniciativas que tem sido feitas em favor da harmonização/normalização contabilística e a sua relevância no contexto internacional e nacional bem como o caso de Cabo Verde, que recentemente aderiu ao processo da normalização. O caso prático baseia-se na transposição das demonstrações financeiras para o novo normativo em vigor e também na análise destas. A metodologia utilizada no trabalho baseia-se na revisão bibliográfica em livros, revistas, pela consulta de sites na Internet e legislação. The purpose of this paper is to demonstrate the importance of the accounting standard for the analysis of financial information, taking into account the environment in which, today, the companies are incorporated. The changes that occurred in the global economy have led companies to introduce new ways of preparing the financial reporting as a way to monitor these developments. The accounting harmonization, it is in this context as a way of reducing the differences existing in the financial reporting of the several countries. In this sense the work will address a variety of initiatives that have been made in favor of harmonization / normalization accounting and its relevance in the international and national context as well as the case of Cape Verde, who recently joined the process of standardization. The practical case is based in on the translation of financial statements for the new rules enforced and also in their analysis. The follows methodology used in the process is based on the literature review in books, magazines, by consulting Web sites and legislation

Three essays in control, entrepreneurship and innovation

One of the key emphases of these three essays is to provide practical managerial insight. However, good practical insight, can only be created by grounding it firmly on theoretical and empirical research. Practical experience-based understanding without theoretical grounding remains tacit and cannot be easily disseminated. Theoretical understanding without links to real life remains sterile. My studies aim to increase the understanding of how radical innovation could be generated at large established firms and how it can have an impact on business performance as most businesses pursue innovation with one prime objective: value creation. My studies focus on large established firms with sales revenue exceeding USD $ 1 billion. Usually large established firms cannot rely on informal ways of management, as these firms tend to be multinational businesses operating with subsidiaries, offices, or production facilities in more than one country. I. Internal and External Determinants of Corporate Venture Capital Investment The goal of this chapter is to focus on CVC as one of the mechanisms available for established firms to source new ideas that can be exploited. We explore the internal and external determinants under which established firms engage in CVC to source new knowledge through investment in startups. We attempt to make scholars and managers aware of the forces that influence CVC activity by providing findings and insights to facilitate the strategic management of CVC. There are research opportunities to further understand the CVC phenomenon. Why do companies engage in CVC? What motivates them to continue "playing the game" and keep their active CVC investment status. The study examines CVC investment activity, and the importance of understanding the influential factors that make a firm decide to engage in CVC. The main question is: How do established firms' CVC programs adapt to changing internal conditions and external environments. Adaptation typically involves learning from exploratory endeavors, which enable companies to transform the ways they compete (Guth & Ginsberg, 1990). Our study extends the current stream of research on CVC. It aims to contribute to the literature by providing an extensive comparison of internal and external determinants leading to CVC investment activity. To our knowledge, this is the first study to examine the influence of internal and external determinants on CVC activity throughout specific expansion and contraction periods determined by structural breaks occurring between 1985 to 2008. Our econometric analysis indicates a strong and significant positive association between CVC activity and R&D, cash flow availability and environmental financial market conditions, as well as a significant negative association between sales growth and the decision to engage into CVC. The analysis of this study reveals that CVC investment is highly volatile, as demonstrated by dramatic fluctuations in CVC investment activity over the past decades. When analyzing the overall cyclical CVC period from 1985 to 2008 the results of our study suggest that CVC activity has a pattern influenced by financial factors such as the level of R&D, free cash flow, lack of sales growth, and external conditions of the economy, with the NASDAQ price index as the most significant variable influencing CVC during this period. II. Contribution of CVC and its Interaction with R&D to Value Creation The second essay takes into account the demands of corporate executives and shareholders regarding business performance and value creation justifications for investments in innovation. Billions of dollars are invested in CVC and R&D. However there is little evidence that CVC and its interaction with R&D create value. Firms operating in dynamic business sectors seek to innovate to create the value demanded by changing market conditions, consumer preferences, and competitive offerings. Consequently, firms operating in such business sectors put a premium on finding new, sustainable and competitive value propositions. CVC and R&D can help them in this challenge. Dushnitsky and Lenox (2006) presented evidence that CVC investment is associated with value creation. However, studies have shown that the most innovative firms do not necessarily benefit from innovation. For instance Oyon (2007) indicated that between 1995 and 2005 the most innovative automotive companies did not obtain adequate rewards for shareholders. The interaction between CVC and R&D has generated much debate in the CVC literature. Some researchers see them as substitutes suggesting that firms have to choose between CVC and R&D (Hellmann, 2002), while others expect them to be complementary (Chesbrough & Tucci, 2004). This study explores the interaction that CVC and R&D have on value creation. This essay examines the impact of CVC and R&D on value creation over sixteen years across six business sectors and different geographical regions. Our findings suggest that the effect of CVC and its interaction with R&D on value creation is positive and significant. In dynamic business sectors technologies rapidly relinquish obsolete, consequently firms operating in such business sectors need to continuously develop new sources of value creation (Eisenhardt & Martin, 2000; Qualls, Olshavsky, & Michaels, 1981). We conclude that in order to impact value creation, firms operating in business sectors such as Engineering & Business Services, and Information Communication & Technology ought to consider CVC as a vital element of their innovation strategy. Moreover, regarding the CVC and R&D interaction effect, our findings suggest that R&D and CVC are complementary to value creation hence firms in certain business sectors can be better off supporting both R&D and CVC simultaneously to increase the probability of generating value creation. III. MCS and Organizational Structures for Radical Innovation Incremental innovation is necessary for continuous improvement but it does not provide a sustainable permanent source of competitiveness (Cooper, 2003). On the other hand, radical innovation pursuing new technologies and new market frontiers can generate new platforms for growth providing firms with competitive advantages and high economic margin rents (Duchesneau et al., 1979; Markides & Geroski, 2005; O'Connor & DeMartino, 2006; Utterback, 1994). Interestingly, not all companies distinguish between incremental and radical innovation, and more importantly firms that manage innovation through a one-sizefits- all process can almost guarantee a sub-optimization of certain systems and resources (Davila et al., 2006). Moreover, we conducted research on the utilization of MCS along with radical innovation and flexible organizational structures as these have been associated with firm growth (Cooper, 2003; Davila & Foster, 2005, 2007; Markides & Geroski, 2005; O'Connor & DeMartino, 2006). Davila et al. (2009) identified research opportunities for innovation management and provided a list of pending issues: How do companies manage the process of radical and incremental innovation? What are the performance measures companies use to manage radical ideas and how do they select them? The fundamental objective of this paper is to address the following research question: What are the processes, MCS, and organizational structures for generating radical innovation? Moreover, in recent years, research on innovation management has been conducted mainly at either the firm level (Birkinshaw, Hamel, & Mol, 2008a) or at the project level examining appropriate management techniques associated with high levels of uncertainty (Burgelman & Sayles, 1988; Dougherty & Heller, 1994; Jelinek & Schoonhoven, 1993; Kanter, North, Bernstein, & Williamson, 1990; Leifer et al., 2000). Therefore, we embarked on a novel process-related research framework to observe the process stages, MCS, and organizational structures that can generate radical innovation. This article is based on a case study at Alcan Engineered Products, a division of a multinational company provider of lightweight material solutions. Our observations suggest that incremental and radical innovation should be managed through different processes, MCS and organizational structures that ought to be activated and adapted contingent to the type of innovation that is being pursued (i.e. incremental or radical innovation). More importantly, we conclude that radical can be generated in a systematic way through enablers such as processes, MCS, and organizational structures. This is in line with the findings of Jelinek and Schoonhoven (1993) and Davila et al. (2006; 2007) who show that innovative firms have institutionalized mechanisms, arguing that radical innovation cannot occur in an organic environment where flexibility and consensus are the main managerial mechanisms. They rather argue that radical innovation requires a clear organizational structure and formal MCS.

The Role of Public Administration: A Global Perspective

From my experience with public administration in my country, Cape Verde, and through readings in the area of development administration, I have found that a distinctive role and specific societal goals are usually ascribed to public administration in developing country. In studying American public administration approaches and operation, I was stuck by the fact that the definition of roles and societal goals for public administration seems not to be a forefront concern in the field. How to do things and achieve efficiency, in a managerial and rational perspective, seemed to draw much more attention than the purpose of doing things. Somehow, the contrast with the concept of development administration seemed too sharp, and I became curious about the reasons for such disparate approaches. Historical, cultural, and environmental differences would probably not be the only explanation for that since the concept of development administration was shaped, in the late 50’s and 60’s, by American authors and institutional aid agencies, and then “offered” to developing countries. At the same time, looking to poor results of the successive prescriptions of the development administration movement, I was no sure that such a concept and the framework it establishes was worthwhile. What practical answers and arrangement did they bring to the needs and challenges of public administrations in developing countries? …

Reconciling global mammal prioritization schemes into a strategy.

The huge conservation interest that mammals attract and the large datasets that have been collected on them have propelled a diversity of global mammal prioritization schemes, but no comprehensive global mammal conservation strategy. We highlight some of the potential discrepancies between the schemes presented in this theme issue, including: conservation of species or areas, reactive and proactive conservation approaches, conservation knowledge and action, levels of aggregation of indicators of trend and scale issues. We propose that recently collected global mammal data and many of the mammal prioritization schemes now available could be incorporated into a comprehensive global strategy for the conservation of mammals. The task of developing such a strategy should be coordinated by a super-partes, authoritative institution (e.g. the International Union for Conservation of Nature, IUCN). The strategy would facilitate funding agencies, conservation organizations and national institutions to rapidly identify a number of short-term and long-term global conservation priorities, and act complementarily to achieve them.

RELATÓRIO DE TRANVERSALIDADE E SINERGIA ENTRE AS TRÊS CONVENÇÕES DE RIO (CCD, CBD, CCC)

- Este relatório refere a avaliação transversal e estabelecimento de sinergias entre as três Convenções do Rio (CCD, CD, CCC), no âmbito da Autoavaliação das Capacidades Nacionais para a Gestão Ambiental Global. Mostrando-se necessário ultrapassar as políticas e traduzir essas políticas em acções práticas e concretas, principalmente em acções de capacitação em gestão ambiental foi elaborado e apresentado para financiamento o projecto NCSA-GEM para reforçar as capacidades nacionais em termos individuais, institucionais e sistémico, nos domínios prioritários das Convenções Internacionais de Rio e, consequentemente reforçar a implementação do PANA II enquanto instrumento estratégico da politica nacional para a gestão do ambiente. - Os desafios do Ambiente Mundial mobilizam, desde há varias décadas, a comunidade internacional. A iniciativa condutora da estratégia de luta da comunidade internacional apareceu sob forma de Desenvolvimento Durável, lançado em Estocolmo em 1972, e confirmado na Conferência de Rio em 1992, através do consenso à volta dos princípios, recomendações e acções da Agenda 21 e, sobretudo das Convenções Internacionais, como nova abordagem da problemática do ambiente mundial. Para confirmar a sua participação na luta contra as ameaças ambientais planetários, Cabo Verde ratificou as principais convenções internacionais e comprometeu se a implementa-las através de estratégias e planos de acção. A ligação entre a Gestão Ambiental Global e o Desenvolvimento Durável é capital para um país como Cabo Verde. Os “cenários” de desenvolvimento humano e económico, tendo em conta a vulnerabilidade ambiental e no contexto de um pequeno estado insular em desenvolvimento (SIDS), devem ser bem avaliados e implementados com uma visão estratégica integrada, sinérgica e de longo prazo. - Este trabalho teve como principal objectivo identificar as forças, constrangimentos e as necessidades prioritárias em matéria de reforço das capacidades do sistema nacional de gestão ambiental aos 3 níveis, assim como as oportunidades que potenciam as ligações e sinergias entre as três Convenções do Rio. Foram também identificadas questões de reforço das capacidades que são comuns e necessárias para a Gestão do Ambiente Mundial, visando integrar os acordos ambientais multilaterais (MEA, Convenções do Rio) nos documentos de planificação estratégica e orçamental (ODM, DSCRP, SMDD, PANA, PND). - Este documento é o resultado das actividades da FASE IV do processo de implementação do NCSA em Cabo Verde. Este processo envolve 5 fases chave: o lançamento do processo (Fase I), o diagnostico da situação ambiental, (Fase II), a elaboração dos perfis temáticos (Fase III), a análise intersectorial (Fase IV), e a elaboração da Estratégia Nacional e Plano de Acção – NCSA (Fase V). - De acordo com a metodologia e orientações do projecto NCSA este documento é o resultado da 2ª actividade, de análise dos pontos de convergência e ligações sinérgicas existentes entre as 3 convenções de Rio. Tendo como ponto de partida a elaboração dos perfis temáticos CBD, CCC e CCD. A abordagem utilizada foi a análise de toda a documentação existente sobre as três Convenções (CCD, CBD; CCC) e Gestão Ambiental, realização de entrevistas e a recolha de informações através da realização de jornadas e ateliers a nível de alguns municípios – chaves. Os consultores animaram algumas sessões de trabalho, três (3) jornadas, mesas redondas regionais no Tarrafal, em S.Domingos (Santiago) e no Mindelo (S. Vicente) e dois ateliers nacionais Mindelo - S. Vicente (8 e 9 de Fevereiro 2007) e Praia – Santiago (01 de Março 2007) para aprofundar o entendimento das questões ligadas aos perfis temáticos e avaliar as necessidades prioritárias de reforço das capacidades nacionais no quadro das três Convenções (CCD, CBD,CCC) e da Gestão Ambiental. As sessões de trabalho foram realizadas com responsáveis de instituições públicas, privadas e ONGs, estruturas directamente envolvidas nas questões do ambiente. Os ateliers incluíram diferentes actores, parceiros técnicos e financeiros tais como representantes da administração central, do poder local, do sector privado e da sociedade civil. - Nesta fase IV, identificou-se um conjunto de necessidades de reforço das capacidades a nível de cada Convenção específica. De seguida, a análise focalizou, de acordo com o processo NCSA, as questões de reforço das capacidades intersectoriais comuns as três Convenções do Rio. Identificou-se ainda actividades habilitantes de integração entre os sectores de intervenção das 3C e as sinergias para a implementação das Convenções. Os resultados desta fase são a base para o arranque da fase V, que visa a elaboração da Estratégia Nacional e Plano de Acção NCSA. As possíveis linhas de orientação são: • Gestão (integrada) dos RN • Reforço das Capacidades para a GI - RN • Investigação para a GI-RN - Concluindo este trabalho, no âmbito da fase IV, recomenda-se para: • Proceder a uma revisão dos documentos de politica e estratégia nacional do desenvolvimento e do ambiente, para sua integração numa ESTRATEGIA NACIONAL DE DESENVOLVIMENTO SUSTENTAVEL; • Implementar uma Estratégia de Mobilização de fundos, para garantir em primeiro lugar a durabilidade do processo NCSA em Cabo Verde, e em segundo lugar a sustentabilidade das instituições nacionais para a implementação da política de Gestão Ambiental; • Implementar uma Estratégia de Comunicação NCSA, para apoiar o desenvolvimento de uma estratégia de IEC em gestão ambiental; Reforçar o actual SIA para sua transformação num verdadeiro Sistema Nacional de Gestão Ambiental, enquanto instrumento estratégico de ordenamento do território, apoio à decisão, planificação do desenvolvimento económico visando a conservação e utilização durável dos recursos naturais.