O efeito da distribuição sobre o market share em diferentes canais

Apesar dos avanços nos estudos sobre os efeitos das estratégias de canais de distribuição, a relação entre distribuição e participação de mercado é ainda um tópico pouco explorado, especialmente em mercados emergentes. Por essa razão, a proposta central deste artigo é investigar a relação entre a variáveis de distribuição e market share no mercado brasileiro, especificamente no setor de bebidas, comparando dois importantes tipos de canais do mercado de consumo: grandes e pequenos supermercados. Para tanto, foi conduzida uma pesquisa empírica com base em um banco de dados contando com mais de 180 Stock Keeping Unit (SKUs) comercializados por três fabricantes na região sudeste do Brasil. Por meio de análises estatísticas, os resultados indicam existir uma relação convexa e crescente entre as variáveis estudadas, ou seja, existe um ponto de inflexão no qual o crescimento do market share é mais acentuado em razão da distribuição. Além disso, verificou-se que as curvas que descrevem essas variáveis apresentam efeitos diferentes quando comparados grandes e pequenos supermercados.

e-learning in the classroom?

As teachers, we are challenged everyday to solve pedagogical problems and we have to fight for our students’ attention in a media rich world. I will talk about how we use ICT in Initial Teacher Training and give you some insight on what we are doing. The most important benefit of using ICT in education is that it makes us reflect on our practice. There is no doubt that our classrooms need to be updated, but we need to be critical about every peace of hardware, software or service that we bring into them. It is not only because our budgets are short, but also because e‐learning is primarily about learning, not technology. Therefore, we need to have the knowledge and skills required to act in different situations, and choose the best tool for the job. Not all subjects are suitable for e‐learning, nor do all students have the skills to organize themselves their own study times. Also not all teachers want to spend time programming or learning about instructional design and metadata. The promised land of easy use of authoring tools (e.g. eXe and Reload) that will lead to all teachers become Learning Objects authors and share these LO in Repositories, all this failed, like previously HyperCard, Toolbook and others. We need to know a little bit of many different technologies so we can mobilize this knowledge when a situation requires it: integrate e‐learning technologies in the classroom, not a flipped classroom, just simple tools. Lecture capture, mobile phones and smartphones, pocket size camcorders, VoIP, VLE, live video broadcast, screen sharing, free services for collaborative work, save, share and sync your files. Do not feel stressed to use everything, every time. Just because we have a whiteboard does not mean we have to make it the centre of the classroom. Start from where you are, with your preferred subject and the tools you master. Them go slowly and try some new tool in a non‐formal situation and with just one or two students. And you don’t need to be alone: subscribe a mailing list and share your thoughts with other teachers in a dedicated forum, even better if both are part of a community of practice, and share resources. We did that for music teachers and it was a success, in two years arriving at 1.000 members. Just do it.

As conceções e as práticas dos gestores de topo na escola pública e privada : convergências e divergências

O papel crucial da escola na sociedade e o exercício da atividade profissional como docente, com um olhar atento sobre o traçar das políticas educativas, motivou a elaboração deste trabalho de investigação, que tem como objeto de estudo os papéis desempenhados pelos diretores das escolas estatais e não estatais e como objetivos específicos estudar o impacto da legislação emanada pela tutela, nas escolas públicas e privadas e analisar as convergências e divergências nas conceções e práticas dos seus diretores. As dimensões analíticas exploradas no estudo abrangem as conceções gestionárias dos diretores quanto aos modelos de gestão, às práticas de autonomia, ao serviço educativo e à prestação de contas. Este trabalho de natureza qualitativa foca o olhar sobre um grupo restrito de atores educativos que foram escolhidos devido ao papel que desempenham na organização educativa e porque a publicação do Decreto- Lei 75/ 2008 de 22 de abril, trouxe alterações à escola pública. A tradição de direção colegial que vigorava nas organizações educativas estatais foi quebrada. O presidente do conselho diretivo é doravante substituído pelo diretor que passa a delegar competências, a designar equipas e a prestar contas à tutela e comunidade educativa à semelhança do diretor da escola privada. O estudo de caso apresentado foi realizado em três escolas públicas e em três colégios privados com recurso a entrevistas semiestruturadas e à análise documental. As conclusões deste trabalho remetem para a existência de muitos pontos de convergência entre a opinião dos diretores da escola pública e privada. As temáticas relativas à autonomia, escolha do pessoal docente e prestação de contas, são olhadas pela mesma perspetiva. A autonomia é vista como “uma miragem”; uma “terra prometida” (Lima e Afonso, 1995). A prestação de contas é exigida aos diretores do ensino estatal e do privado através de instrumentos próximos. As principais divergências situam-se ao nível do menor interesse demonstrado, por parte da direção da escola privada, pela oferta de cursos profissionais e pelo menor investimento em estratégias para a prevenção do abandono escolar, que é considerado pouco significativo na escola não estatal. A defesa da escolha de escola e da modalidade de cheque ensino são outros dos pontos que marcam a divergência entre estes diretores. Abstract: This investigative paper - whose objective is the study of the role of the school directors, both State and non-state, and the impact of legislation on both State and private schools, as well as the analysis of the convergent and divergent conceptions and practices of these directors – is motivated by the crucial role played by schools in our society and by the professional activity of the teacher, with an attentive look at the educational practices. The analytical dimension explored in this study includes the various concepts of management of the school director as models of management, as well as practices in self-sufficiency, budget control and educational service to the community. This study has a qualitative nature and focuses on a small group of individuals who were chosen for the role they play in the whole educational structure, considering that the Decree nº 75/2008, published on April the 22nd, determined alterations to the public school system. The traditional method of control of the public school system has, henceforth, been changed. The headmaster is now substituted by a director who delegates his functions, makes up work teams and elaborates the school budget which is presented to the respective governmental ministry and the community, much like as what happens in private schools. The present study encompasses three public schools and three private schools, the methods of study being semi-structured interviews as well as the consultation of documentation. The conclusions point to many convergent opinions of the school directors of both the public and the private sector. The school directors of both public and private schools used in this study share the same opinion as to the factors involved in the selection of teachers, the elaboration of the school budget and the implementation of self-sufficiency policies. These self-sufficiency policies are seen as a “mirage” or a “promised land” (Lima and Afonso, 1995). The school budget and its management practices are implemented in both public and private schools through similar instruments. The principal differences are noted on smaller, less interesting points, on the part of the direction of the private schools, and result from the elaboration of professional courses and minor investment in the strategies, oriented to the prevention of school drop-outs, which is considered of little significance in the private school sector. The other factors of divergence result from the right to choose the type of school desired and the type of teaching implemented.

Execução de túneis com recurso ao método cut anda cover

Neste trabalho apresenta-se uma abordagem sobre a conceção e execução de túneis que incide na metodologia de execução de galerias a céu aberto (mais conhecida pela designação utilizada na língua inglesa – cut and cover). Na primeira parte do trabalho é enquadrado o tema, introduzindo-se uma perspetiva sobre a sua evolução histórica, descrevem-se as principais metodologias adotadas na construção de túneis, afloram-se as vantagens e desvantagens de cada metodologia, abordam-se de forma sumária assuntos como a instrumentação utilizada no controlo da segurança na construção destas obras e empreendimentos envolventes assim como os benefícios obtidos com a construção deste tipo de obra. Numa segunda fase do trabalho abordam-se as principais práticas, critérios e normativas utilizadas no desenvolvimento de modelos estruturais que suportam as verificações de segurança na fase de projeto. Finalmente recorre-se a um estudo de caso para mostrar e discutir a aplicação prática de alguns dos critérios e normas antes referidos, bem como para verificar e discutir o estado de tensão de algumas das secções de referência da obra em análise, assim como correlacionar esse estado de tensão e de deformação com as diferentes soluções estruturais adotadas para a sua construção, nomeadamente a execução de cortinas de estacas ou taludes e banquetas na escavação.

Academic social network in EHES

This paper presents the foundations of an Academic Social Network (ASN) focusing the Bologna Declaration and the Bologna Process (BP) mobility issues using ontological support. An ASN will permit students to share commons academic interests, preferences and mobility paths in the European Higher Education Space (EHES). The description of the conceptual support is ontology based allowing knowledge sharing and reuse. An approach is presented by merging Academic Ontology to Support the Bologna Mobility Process with Friend of a Friend ontology. The resulting ontology supports the student mobility profile in the ASN. The strategies to make available, in the network, knowledge about mobility issues, are presented including knowledge discovery and simulation approaches to cover student's mobility scenarios for BP.

O valor das empresas dos PIIGS no período de 2000 a 2010 : o impacto da crise financeira de 2007

O valor das empresas é fundamental para o cálculo do preço das suas acções e desta forma permitir aos investidores e accionistas determinar onde aplicar o seu dinheiro. Em última análise, podemos também dizer que o valor de um país é determinado pelo valor da riqueza que consegue produzir, e para essa riqueza, em muito contribuem as empresas e a criação de valor por parte destas. É também necessário realçar o papel fundamental que um gestor financeiro desempenha na criação de valor para as empresas, e nessa medida, é imprescindível que este seja dotado do conhecimento dos modelos de avaliação financeira, pois só assim poderá maximizar o valor desta através dos investimentos que irá efectuar. Nos últimos anos, em especial após 2007 com a crise financeira desencadeada nos Estados Unidos e que rapidamente se alastrou à Europa e restantes continentes, muitas foram as alterações verificadas nas empresas por todo o globo. Assim, pretende-se avaliar o impacto desta crise nas empresas, com especial enfoque nas empresas portuguesas, italianas, irlandesas, gregas e espanholas através da análise do Q de Tobin de cada uma delas no período de 2000 a 2010.

Enabling inter-domain transactions in bridge-based hybrid wired/wireless PROFIBUS networks

The marriage of emerging information technologies with control technologies is a major driving force that, in the context of the factory-floor, is creating an enormous eagerness for extending the capabilities of currently available fieldbus networks to cover functionalities not considered up to a recent past. Providing wireless capabilities to such type of communication networks is a big share of that effort. The RFieldbus European project is just one example, where PROFIBUS was provided with suitable extensions for implementing hybrid wired/wireless communication systems. In RFieldbus, interoperability between wired and wireless components is achieved by the use specific intermediate networking systems operating as repeaters, thus creating a single logical ring (SLR) network. The main advantage of the SLR approach is that the effort for protocol extensions is not significant. However, a multiple logical ring (MLR) approach provides traffic and error isolation between different network segments. This concept was introduced in, where an approach for a bridge-based architecture was briefly outlined. This paper will focus on the details of the inter-Domain Protocol (IDP), which is responsible for handling transactions between different network domains (wired or wireless) running the PROFIBUS protocol.

Automatic learning for the classification of chemical reactions and in statistical thermodynamics

This Thesis describes the application of automatic learning methods for a) the classification of organic and metabolic reactions, and b) the mapping of Potential Energy Surfaces(PES). The classification of reactions was approached with two distinct methodologies: a representation of chemical reactions based on NMR data, and a representation of chemical reactions from the reaction equation based on the physico-chemical and topological features of chemical bonds. NMR-based classification of photochemical and enzymatic reactions. Photochemical and metabolic reactions were classified by Kohonen Self-Organizing Maps (Kohonen SOMs) and Random Forests (RFs) taking as input the difference between the 1H NMR spectra of the products and the reactants. The development of such a representation can be applied in automatic analysis of changes in the 1H NMR spectrum of a mixture and their interpretation in terms of the chemical reactions taking place. Examples of possible applications are the monitoring of reaction processes, evaluation of the stability of chemicals, or even the interpretation of metabonomic data. A Kohonen SOM trained with a data set of metabolic reactions catalysed by transferases was able to correctly classify 75% of an independent test set in terms of the EC number subclass. Random Forests improved the correct predictions to 79%. With photochemical reactions classified into 7 groups, an independent test set was classified with 86-93% accuracy. The data set of photochemical reactions was also used to simulate mixtures with two reactions occurring simultaneously. Kohonen SOMs and Feed-Forward Neural Networks (FFNNs) were trained to classify the reactions occurring in a mixture based on the 1H NMR spectra of the products and reactants. Kohonen SOMs allowed the correct assignment of 53-63% of the mixtures (in a test set). Counter-Propagation Neural Networks (CPNNs) gave origin to similar results. The use of supervised learning techniques allowed an improvement in the results. They were improved to 77% of correct assignments when an ensemble of ten FFNNs were used and to 80% when Random Forests were used. This study was performed with NMR data simulated from the molecular structure by the SPINUS program. In the design of one test set, simulated data was combined with experimental data. The results support the proposal of linking databases of chemical reactions to experimental or simulated NMR data for automatic classification of reactions and mixtures of reactions. Genome-scale classification of enzymatic reactions from their reaction equation. The MOLMAP descriptor relies on a Kohonen SOM that defines types of bonds on the basis of their physico-chemical and topological properties. The MOLMAP descriptor of a molecule represents the types of bonds available in that molecule. The MOLMAP descriptor of a reaction is defined as the difference between the MOLMAPs of the products and the reactants, and numerically encodes the pattern of bonds that are broken, changed, and made during a chemical reaction. The automatic perception of chemical similarities between metabolic reactions is required for a variety of applications ranging from the computer validation of classification systems, genome-scale reconstruction (or comparison) of metabolic pathways, to the classification of enzymatic mechanisms. Catalytic functions of proteins are generally described by the EC numbers that are simultaneously employed as identifiers of reactions, enzymes, and enzyme genes, thus linking metabolic and genomic information. Different methods should be available to automatically compare metabolic reactions and for the automatic assignment of EC numbers to reactions still not officially classified. In this study, the genome-scale data set of enzymatic reactions available in the KEGG database was encoded by the MOLMAP descriptors, and was submitted to Kohonen SOMs to compare the resulting map with the official EC number classification, to explore the possibility of predicting EC numbers from the reaction equation, and to assess the internal consistency of the EC classification at the class level. A general agreement with the EC classification was observed, i.e. a relationship between the similarity of MOLMAPs and the similarity of EC numbers. At the same time, MOLMAPs were able to discriminate between EC sub-subclasses. EC numbers could be assigned at the class, subclass, and sub-subclass levels with accuracies up to 92%, 80%, and 70% for independent test sets. The correspondence between chemical similarity of metabolic reactions and their MOLMAP descriptors was applied to the identification of a number of reactions mapped into the same neuron but belonging to different EC classes, which demonstrated the ability of the MOLMAP/SOM approach to verify the internal consistency of classifications in databases of metabolic reactions. RFs were also used to assign the four levels of the EC hierarchy from the reaction equation. EC numbers were correctly assigned in 95%, 90%, 85% and 86% of the cases (for independent test sets) at the class, subclass, sub-subclass and full EC number level,respectively. Experiments for the classification of reactions from the main reactants and products were performed with RFs - EC numbers were assigned at the class, subclass and sub-subclass level with accuracies of 78%, 74% and 63%, respectively. In the course of the experiments with metabolic reactions we suggested that the MOLMAP / SOM concept could be extended to the representation of other levels of metabolic information such as metabolic pathways. Following the MOLMAP idea, the pattern of neurons activated by the reactions of a metabolic pathway is a representation of the reactions involved in that pathway - a descriptor of the metabolic pathway. This reasoning enabled the comparison of different pathways, the automatic classification of pathways, and a classification of organisms based on their biochemical machinery. The three levels of classification (from bonds to metabolic pathways) allowed to map and perceive chemical similarities between metabolic pathways even for pathways of different types of metabolism and pathways that do not share similarities in terms of EC numbers. Mapping of PES by neural networks (NNs). In a first series of experiments, ensembles of Feed-Forward NNs (EnsFFNNs) and Associative Neural Networks (ASNNs) were trained to reproduce PES represented by the Lennard-Jones (LJ) analytical potential function. The accuracy of the method was assessed by comparing the results of molecular dynamics simulations (thermal, structural, and dynamic properties) obtained from the NNs-PES and from the LJ function. The results indicated that for LJ-type potentials, NNs can be trained to generate accurate PES to be used in molecular simulations. EnsFFNNs and ASNNs gave better results than single FFNNs. A remarkable ability of the NNs models to interpolate between distant curves and accurately reproduce potentials to be used in molecular simulations is shown. The purpose of the first study was to systematically analyse the accuracy of different NNs. Our main motivation, however, is reflected in the next study: the mapping of multidimensional PES by NNs to simulate, by Molecular Dynamics or Monte Carlo, the adsorption and self-assembly of solvated organic molecules on noble-metal electrodes. Indeed, for such complex and heterogeneous systems the development of suitable analytical functions that fit quantum mechanical interaction energies is a non-trivial or even impossible task. The data consisted of energy values, from Density Functional Theory (DFT) calculations, at different distances, for several molecular orientations and three electrode adsorption sites. The results indicate that NNs require a data set large enough to cover well the diversity of possible interaction sites, distances, and orientations. NNs trained with such data sets can perform equally well or even better than analytical functions. Therefore, they can be used in molecular simulations, particularly for the ethanol/Au (111) interface which is the case studied in the present Thesis. Once properly trained, the networks are able to produce, as output, any required number of energy points for accurate interpolations.

TRAILER – e-Portfolio for collecting and recognizing informal learning process and outcomes

Informal learning is becoming more and more important: Nowadays people learn more this way, through the Internet, than in schools or normal trainings. But they don’t get any certificateswhich attest this fact. So they can't show the employer or teacher etc. that they have learned something. TRAILER project aim is to solve this problem by developing a special tool for managing of all competences and skills acquired through informal learning experiences. Both from the perspective of the user and the perspective of an institution or a company. We’ll present the IT tool to show how people can make their informal learning outcomes visible. TRAILER helps users to gather all information about process and outcomes of their informal learning. Users can share this with friends, colleagues or their employees, teachers and so on. They can create an interactive e-portfolio which can be attached to their CV, cover letter or Knowledge Management system etc. After the presentation of the tool we will discuss possible areas and fields to use this tool. Also we would like to discuss all possible use of the tool by the participants and another needs in this area. Moreover we want to discuss other problems in informal learning process, ways to solve the problems and discuss other ideas of different IT tools which could help in informal learning process. During the discussion we’ll use an interactive respond system which can be used on mobile devices: it makes possible for participants to share their opinions individually before knowing another persons' opinion.

Chimpanzees Share Forbidden Fruit

PLoS ONE - www.plosone.org, V.9, e886

Share GFS – Games, Films & Series: sistema de recomendação

Esta dissertação incide sobre o estudo e análise de uma solução para a criação de um sistema de recomendação para uma comunidade de consumidores de media e no consequente desenvolvimento da mesma cujo âmbito inicial engloba consumidores de jogos, filmes e/ou séries, com o intuito de lhes proporcionar a oportunidade de partilharem experiências, bem como manterem um registo das mesmas. Com a informação adquirida, o sistema reúne condições para proceder a sugestões direcionadas a cada membro da comunidade. O sistema atualiza a sua informação mediante as ações e os dados fornecidos pelos membros, bem como pelo seu feedback às sugestões. Esta aprendizagem ao longo do tempo permite que as sugestões do sistema evoluam juntamente com a mudança de preferência dos membros ou se autocorrijam. O sistema toma iniciativa de sugerir mediante determinadas ações, mas também pode ser invocada uma sugestão diretamente pelo utilizador, na medida em que este não precisa de esperar por sugestões, podendo pedir ao sistema que as forneça num determinado momento. Nos testes realizados foi possível apurar que o sistema de recomendação desenvolvido forneceu sugestões adequadas a cada utilizador específico, tomando em linha de conta as suas ações prévias. Para além deste facto, o sistema não forneceu qualquer sugestão quando o histórico destas tinha provado incomodar o utilizador.

The Cristo Rei section (Lower Miocene). Distal fluviatile environments in a marine series, plants, vertebrates and other evidence, age

The section at Cristo Rei shows sandy beds with intercalated clayey lenses (IVb division from the Lisbon Miocene series) that correspond to a major regression event dated from between ca. 17.6 and 17 Ma. They also correspond to a distal position (relatively to the typical fluviatile facies in Lisbon), nearer the basin's axis. Geologic data and paleontological analysis (plant fossils, fishes, crocodilians, land mammals) allow the reconstruction of environments that were represented in the concerned area: estuary with channels and ox-bows; upstream, areas occupied by brackish waters where Gryphaea griphoides banks developped; still farther upstream, freshwaters sided by humid forests and low mountain subtropical forests under warm temperate and rainy conditions, as well as not far away, seasonally dry environments (low density tree or shrub cover, or steppe).

Welcome to the golden land: sexual and gender-based violence against women refugees from Burma

European Master’s Degree in Human Rights and Democratisation Academic Year 2005/2006

Avaliação da vulnerabilidade socioecológica ao risco sísmico no concelho de Vila Franca do Campo (Açores): contributo para a construção de uma comunidade resiliente

Dissertação apresentada como requisito parcial para obtenção do grau de Mestre em Ciência e Sistemas de Informação Geográfica

Constructing the National Canon in Ireland and Macedonia: The Function of Folklore in the Plays The Countess Cathleen and The Land of Heart’s Desire by William Butler Yeats, and Proud Flesh and The Black Hole by Goran Stefanovski and Their Role in Strengthening National Identity

Erasmus Mundus Masters “Crossways in European Humanities” June 2011