Two-Year Monitoring of Water Samples from Dam of Iskar and the Black Sea, Bulgaria, by Molecular Analysis: Focus on Mycobacterium spp

The coast of the Bulgarian Black Sea is a popular summer holiday destination. The Dam of Iskar is the largest artificial dam in Bulgaria, with a capacity of 675 million m3. It is the main source of tap water for the capital Sofia and for irrigating the surrounding valley. There is a close relationship between the quality of aquatic ecosystems and human health as many infections are waterborne. Rapid molecular methods for the analysis of highly pathogenic bacteria have been developed for monitoring quality. Mycobacterial species can be isolated from waste, surface, recreational, ground and tap waters and human pathogenicity of nontuberculose mycobacteria (NTM) is well recognized. The objective of our study was to perform molecular analysis for key-pathogens, with a focus on mycobacteria, in water samples collected from the Black Sea and the Dam of Iskar. In a two year period, 38 water samples were collected-24 from the Dam of Iskar and 14 from the Black Sea coastal zone. Fifty liter water samples were concentrated by ultrafiltration. Molecular analysis for 15 pathogens, including all species of genus Mycobacterium was performed. Our results showed presence of Vibrio spp. in the Black Sea. Rotavirus A was also identified in four samples from the Dam of Iskar. Toxigenic Escherichia coli was present in both locations, based on markers for stx1 and stx2 genes. No detectable amounts of Cryptosporidium were detected in either location using immunomagnetic separation and fluorescence microscopy. Furthermore, mass spectrometry analyses did not detect key cyanobacterial toxins. On the basis of the results obtained we can conclude that for the period 2012-2014 no Mycobacterium species were present in the water samples. During the study period no cases of waterborne infections were reported.

A validated UPLC–MS/MS method for the surveillance of ten aquatic biotoxins in European brackish and freshwater systems

Over the past few decades, there has been an increased frequency and duration of cyanobacterial Harmful Algal Blooms (HABs) in freshwater systems globally. These can produce secondary metabolites called cyanotoxins, many of which are hepatotoxins, raising concerns about repeated exposure through ingestion of contaminated drinking water or food or through recreational activities such as bathing/ swimming. An ultra-performance liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC–MS/MS) multi-toxin method has been developed and validated for freshwater cyanotoxins; microcystins-LR, -YR, -RR, -LA, -LY and -LF, nodularin, cylindrospermopsin, anatoxin-a and the marine diatom toxin domoic acid. Separation was achieved in around 9 min and dual SPE was incorporated providing detection limits of between 0.3 and 5.6 ng/L of original sample. Intra- and inter-day precision analysis showed relative
standard deviations (RSD) of 1.2–9.6% and 1.3–12.0% respectively. The method was applied to the analysis of aquatic samples (n = 206) from six European countries. The main class detected were the hepatotoxins; microcystin-YR (n = 22), cylindrospermopsin (n = 25), microcystin-RR (n = 17), microcystin-LR (n = 12), microcystin-LY (n = 1), microcystin-LF (n = 1) and nodularin (n = 5). For microcystins, the levels detected ranged from 0.001 to 1.51 mg/L, with two samples showing combined levels above the guideline set by the WHO of 1 mg/L for microcystin-LR. Several samples presented with multiple toxins indicating the potential for synergistic effects and possibly enhanced toxicity. This is the first published pan European survey of freshwater bodies for multiple biotoxins, including two identified for the first time; cylindrospermopsin in Ireland and nodularin in Germany, presenting further incentives for improved monitoring and development of strategies to mitigate human exposure.

Relatório de estágio “Abotoa Lda./SKYPRO Shoes”

Dissertação apresentada ao Instituto Politécnico do Porto-Instituto Superior de Contabilidade e Administração do Porto, para obtenção do Grau de Mestre em Empreendedorismo e Internacionalização, sob orientação de Professor Doutor Orlando Manuel Lima Rua

Balancing and lot-sizing mixed-model lines in the footwear industry

This report describes the full research proposal for the project \Balancing and lot-sizing mixed-model lines in the footwear industry", to be developed as part of the master program in Engenharia Electrotécnica e de Computadores - Sistemas de Planeamento Industrial of the Instituto Superior de Engenharia do Porto. The Portuguese footwear industry is undergoing a period of great development and innovation. The numbers speak for themselves, Portugal footwear exported 71 million pairs of shoes to over 130 countries in 2012. It is a diverse sector, which covers different categories of women, men and children shoes, each of them with various models. New and technologically advanced mixed-model assembly lines are being projected and installed to replace traditional mass assembly lines. Obviously there is a need to manage them conveniently and to improve their operations. This work focuses on balancing and lot-sizing stitching mixed-model lines in a real world environment. For that purpose it will be fundamental to develop and evaluate adequate effective solution methods. Different objectives may be considered, which are relevant for the companies, such as minimizing the number of workstations, and minimizing the makespan, while taking into account a lot of practical restrictions. The solution approaches will be based on approximate methods, namely by resorting to metaheuristics. To show the impact of having different lots in production the initial maximum amount for each lot is changed and a Tabu Search based procedure is used to improve the solutions. The developed approaches will be evaluated and tested. A special attention will be given to the solution of real applied problems. Future work may include the study of other neighbourhood structures related to Tabu Search and the development of ways to speed up the evaluation of neighbours, as well as improving the balancing solution method.

Internationalization strategy of Skypro Shoes to Japan

Skypro is a footwear brand targeted at the aviation professionals’ niche market, explored by the Portuguese microenterprise Abotoa Lda..The saturation of the Portuguese market led Skypro to expand to different worldwide countries and to be a footwear supplier of Airlines from the USA, Qatar or Australia, among others. Abotoa aims for its 2014’s exports to represent around 80% of total sales and this Internationalization Plan for Japan represents the possibility of further exploring the Asian market. Japan appears as the 2nd worldwide footwear importer and the 5th footwear consumer, with a high purchasing power – GDP per capita (PPP). This country possesses two enormous Airlines (ANA and JAL) that employ more than 15000 on-board personnel, the world’s 4th busiest Airport in 2013 (Tokyo’s Haneda International Airport) and a geographic structure with more than 6500 islands, implying high frequency of aerial transportation in the medium-run. These aspects make Japan an adequate country to invest in. At the course of this Work Project, trustworthy recommendations are provided for the current state of Abotoa and for the introduction and implementation of this Internationalization Plan. These findings strongly suggest that Skypro should indeed penetrate Japan’s market.

Shoes closet- Entering the German market

The purpose of this project is to prepare and help ShoesCloset company for international business activity, namely in Germany. After having a careful study on the core foundation of the company I conclude that ShoesCloset has indeed potential to succeed by offering what the target segment is looking for in footwear. Nevertheless, the firm still has to improve in areas such as marketing, management operations, distribution channels and internal structure. In relation to the German market and according to my studies the best mode of entry is through direct exports, which would be under the supervision of the CEO. Moreover, it is imperative to increase the productive capacity in order to satisfy both national and international expected demands

Hendershot & Brother - Vignette

A vignette of the Hendershot & Brother Store, "dealers of dry goods, groceries, hardware, boots & shoes, iron and steel, dealers in grain and farmer's produce". The proprietors are Paul H. Hendershott and Abraham Hendershott and the business is located in St. Catharines.

Advertisement - Thomas Cowan

An advertisement for Thomas Cowan, dealers in boots, shoes, trunks & valises. The ad is bright in colour and shows a shoe sitting on a shell with a fan and dragonfly and flower. It reads "compliments of the season" in the top corner.

Receipt to S.D. Woodruff from T. Healey

Receipt to S.D. Woodruff from T. Healey of St. Catharines, dealers in Boots, Shoes, Rubbers and Gaiters regarding shoes and shoe repairs, Jan. 1, 1876.

Receipt from John R. Monro, Tea, China, Glass and Crockery House, St. Catharines

Receipt from John R. Monro, Tea, China, Glass and Crockery House, St. Catharines for kitchen items, shoes and mustard, April 12, 1887.

Structural tuning of Montmorillonite clays by pillaring: Designing of shape selective solid acid catalysts and PANI - Montmorillonite nanocomposites

Green chemistry boots eco-friendly,natural clays as catalysts in the chemical as well as in the pharmaceutical industry.Industry demands thermal stability,mechanical strength etc for the catalyst and there the modification methods becomes important.Pillaring tunes clays as efficient catalytic templates for shape selective organic synthesis.Here pillared clays are used as promising alternatives for the environmentally hazardous homogeneous catalysts in some industrially important Friedel-Crafts alkylation reactions of arenes with lower alchohols and higher olefins.The layer structure is enhanced upon pillaring and allows the nanocomposite formation with polyaniline to develop today’s nanoscale diameter devices.Present work gives an entry of pillared clays to the world of conducting composite nanofibers.

Understanding research: The HCIU Shoes exercise

An exercise for students and tutors to explore the basic questions about research design and method Professor Debra Humphris

‘Boots for my Sancho’: structural vulnerability among Latin American day labourers in Berkeley, California

This paper addresses the structural vulnerability of Latin American undocumented day labourers in Northern California, as it is expressed in conversations on street corners where they wait for work. The intimate aspects of migrant experience become exemplified in jokes about the Sancho – a hypothetical character who has moved in on a day labourer's family and who enjoys the money he sends home. Joking turns to more serious topics of nostalgia and tensions with family far away, elements that come together with the fears and threats of labour on the corner and affect the way day labourers see themselves. Sexuality is rearticulated in the absence of women and masculinity becomes enmeshed in the contingencies of unregulated work and long-term separation from the people the men support. Together, these elements result in the articulation of threat to the immigrant body itself, which is exemplified by anxieties over homosexual propositions on the corner. Cet article aborde la vulnérabilité structurelle des travailleurs journaliers latino-américains sans papiers dans le Nord de la Californie, telle qu'ils l'expriment dans leurs conversations en attendant du travail aux coins des rues. Les aspects intimes de l'expérience de la migration sont exemplifiés à travers des blagues sur le Sancho – un personnage hypothétique qui, au pays natal, s'est installé dans la famille d'un journalier pour profiter de l'argent qu'elle reçoit de ce dernier. Les blagues deviennent alors des sujets de conversation plus sérieux, sur un fond de nostalgie et de tensions qui résulte de l'éloignement vis-à-vis de la famille – des éléments qui accompagnent les peurs et les menaces liées aux embauches des coins de rue et ont un impact sur la manière dont les journaliers se perçoivent. La sexualité est articulée par rapport à l'absence des femmes et la virilité s'empêtre dans les contingences du travail illégal et de la séparation sur le long terme d'avec les êtres que ces hommes soutiennent financièrement. Ensemble, tous ces éléments ont pour résultat une articulation de la menace vis-à-vis du corps de l'immigré lui-même, qui est exemplifiée par les angoisses dues aux propositions d'homosexuels aux coins des rues.

Interactive sensory objects for and by people with learning disabilities

This project engages people with learning disabilities as co-researchers and co-designers in the development of multisensory interactive artworks, with the aim of making museums or heritage sites more interesting, meaningful, and fun. This article describes our explorations, within this context, of a range of technologies including squishy circuits, littleBits, and easy-build websites, and presents examples of objects created by the co-researchers such as “sensory boxes” and interactive buckets, baskets, and boots. Public engagement is an important part of the project and includes an annual public event and seminar day, a blog rich with photos and videos of the workshops, and an activities book to give people ideas for creating their own sensory explorations of museums and heritage sites.

The online distribution strategy of luxury products and their vertical extensions

Uma importante tendência do mercado de luxo é a extensão de marca em um novo segmento de mercado por meio da chamada extensão vertical, que pode ser para cima ou para baixo. Em outras palavras, significa que a organização passa a atuar em um novo segmento dentro de uma mesma categoria de produtos, mas com diferente público-alvo que sua marca original. Nesse processo, a empresa inicia atividade em um novo segmento com diferente nível de luxo. A distribuição é um aspecto fundamental do composto de Marketing e a importância da internet como canal de distribuição dessa indústria tem aumentado expressivamente nos últimos anos. Dessa forma, faz-se necessário compreender como as marcas de luxo gerenciam suas estratégias de distribuição online quando desenvolvem processos de extensão de marca e penetração em novos segmentos. Com o objetivo de analisar a estratégia de distribuição da indústria de luxo, um estudo exploratório foi desenvolvido focando bens de luxo pessoal (em categorias como costura, relógios & jóias, couro e sapatos). Uma amostra significativa constituída de marcas originais e suas extensões foi analisada para constituir um modelo comparativo entre duas variáveis: o nível de diferenciação entre os canais de distribuição da marca original e suas extensões; e a distância entre as próprias marcas no que concerne ao seus posicionamentos. Esse estudo contribui para o entendimento da dinâmica de distribuição do mercado e colabora com a compreensão do comportamento das empresas que atuam nele, dependendo do tipo de extensões que elas desenvolvem e da forma como elas são conduzidas.