Sustainable development addresses humanity’s aspiration for a better life while observing the limitations imposed by nature. In 2015, the United Nations General Assembly approved the 17 Sustainable ...Development Goals (SDGs) with the aim to foster the organizational operationalization and integration of sustainability and, therefore, to address the current and forthcoming stakeholder needs and ensure a better and sustainable future for all, balancing the economic, social, and environmental development. However, it is not entirely clear which are the mutual relationships among the 17 SDGs and this study aims to tackle this research gap. The results of the correlation confirm that Poverty elimination (SDG1) and Good health and well-being (SDG3) have synergetic relationships with most of the other goals. SDG7 (Affordable and clean energy) has significant relationships with other SDGs (e.g., SDG1 (No poverty), SDG2 (Zero hunger), SDG3 (Good health and well-being), SDG8 (Decent work and economic growth), SDG13 (Climate action)). However, there is a moderate negative correlation with SDG12 (Responsible consumption and production), which emphasizes the need to improve energy efficiency, increase the share of clean and renewable energies and improve sustainable consumption patterns worldwide. There is also confirmation that SDG12 (Responsible consumption and production) is the goal strongly associated with trade-offs. To sum up, this research suggests that change towards achieving the Sustainable Development Goals offers many opportunities for reinforcing rather than inhibiting itself. However, some SDGs show no significant correlation with other SDGs (e.g., SDG13 (Climate action) and SDG17 (Partnerships for the goals), which highlights the need for future research.
The move towards a new Circular Economy (CE) economic model has been advocated and supported in Portugal, however, there is limited research on this topic. To address this gap, a quantitative ...research based on an online survey was carried out among 99 Portuguese organizations, encompassing a wide range of sectors and sizes. The results show that CE is regarded as a strategic and relevant issue for profitability and value creation. Furthermore, the perception that it requires the adoption of new business models in addition to the classical “reduce, reuse and recycle” approach is growing. Moreover, based on the hypotheses raised, results suggest that the level of CE adoption is positively impacted by the status of the EMS (Environmental Management System) certification and the willingness to improve the environmental performance and achieve a sustainable business model. However, CE activities are still relatively modest and a friendlier context (fiscal, legal, organizational, etc.) and the stronger support from supply chain agents and consumers are required. Future research should focus on how to design and shape the transition from a linear to a CE economy and to ascertain if the positive attitude towards CE is materialized in changing the way business is done.
The purpose of this paper is the assessment of the ISO 14001:2015 transition process among Portuguese ISO 14001 certified organizations, including those that successfully have already achieved ISO ...14001:2015 certification. A considerable number of the surveyed companies proceeded with the transition to the ISO 14001:2015 by introducing slight adjustments and were supported by external consultants. Nearly all of the respondent companies (97%) intend to transition until 15th September 2018. The highest ranked reported benefit is the “integrated approach with other management sub-systems” with a well-consolidated perception from the surveyed companies. This is aligned with the ISO 14001:2015 goal of improving the compatibility of management standards supported on the Annex SL. “Alignment with business strategy”, “improved top management commitment” and “improved internal and external communication” are also perceived to obtain significant benefits from ISO 14001:2015. The statistical tests carried out (Kruskal–Wallis) confirmed that the perception of some achieved ISO 14001:2015 certification benefits is dependent on the size of the organization. Concerning the motivations to proceed with certification, results suggest that there is not a particular company profile that is compelled to certify their EMS based on a specific type of motivation (Internal or External). Due to ISO 14001:2015 novelty, these exploratory results should be subjected to additional research confirmation.
Purpose This study aims to explore the conditions of successful implementation of Quality 4.0 in higher education institutions (HEIs) and the key factors affecting it, as well as the role of the ...Triple Helix collaborative (THC) framework in enhancing the integration of Quality 4.0 principles and Industry 4.0 technologies. Design/methodology/approach A survey-based strategy was adopted, adopting questionnaires distributed amongst researchers chosen based on their publications related to the aforementioned fields. Findings The successful integration of disruptive technologies, Quality 4.0 and THC in HEIs heavily relies on educators' continuous learning and professional development. Faculty members must acquire digital skills and competencies to effectively adopt disruptive technologies and implement Quality 4.0 principles in their teaching practices. HEIs should provide opportunities for faculty members to engage in ongoing training programmes, workshops and communities of practice that focus on enhancing their technological proficiencies, pedagogical strategies and collaborative skills. Originality/value To the best of the authors' knowledge, this is the first reported study linking the concepts of Quality 4.0 and the Triple Helix of Innovation in HEIs.
Fluorescence lifetime imaging microscopy (FLIM) can assess cell's metabolism through the fluorescence of the co-enzymes NADH and FAD, which exhibit a double-exponential decay, with components related ...to free and protein-bound conditions. In vivo real time clinical imaging applications demand fast acquisition. As photodamage limits excitation power, this is best achieved using wide-field techniques, like time-gated FLIM, and algorithms that require few images to calculate the decay parameters. The rapid lifetime determination (RLD) algorithm requires only four images to analyze a double-exponential decay. Using computational simulations, we evaluated the accuracy and precision of RLD when measuring endogenous fluorescence lifetimes and metabolic free to protein-bound ratios, for total counts per pixel (TC) lower than 104. The simulations were based on a time-gated FLIM instrument, accounting for its instrument response function, gain and noise. While the optimal acquisition setting depends on the values being measured, the accuracy of the free to protein-bound ratio α2/α1 is stable for low gains and gate separations larger than 1000 ps, while its precision is almost constant for gate separations between 1500 and 2500 ps. For the gate separations and free to protein-bound ratios considered, the accuracy error can be as high as 30% and the precision error can reach 60%. Precision errors lower than 10% cannot be obtained. The best performance occurs for low camera gains and gate separations near 1800 ps. When considering the narrow physiological ranges for the free to protein-bound ratio, the precision errors can be confined to an interval between 10% and 20%. RLD is a valid option when for real time FLIM. The simulations and methodology presented here can be applied to any time-gated FLIM instrument and are useful to obtain the accuracy and precision limits for RLD in the demanding conditions of TC lower than 104.
Celotno besedilo
Dostopno za:
DOBA, IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, SIK, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK
Robust methods to compute tissue displacements in optical coherence elastography (OCE) data are paramount, as they play a significant role in the accuracy of tissue elastic properties estimation. In ...this study, the accuracy of different phase estimators was evaluated on simulated OCE data, where the displacements can be accurately set, and on real data. Displacement (∆d) estimates were computed from (i) the original interferogram data (Δφori) and two phase-invariant mathematical manipulations of the interferogram: (ii) its first-order derivative (Δφd) and (iii) its integral (Δφint). We observed a dependence of the phase difference estimation accuracy on the initial depth location of the scatterer and the magnitude of the tissue displacement. However, by combining the three phase-difference estimates (Δdav), the error in phase difference estimation could be minimized. By using Δdav, the median root-mean-square error associated with displacement prediction in simulated OCE data was reduced by 85% and 70% in data with and without noise, respectively, in relation to the traditional estimate. Furthermore, a modest improvement in the minimum detectable displacement in real OCE data was also observed, particularly in data with low signal-to-noise ratios. The feasibility of using Δdav to estimate agarose phantoms' Young's modulus is illustrated.
Purpose: With the transition period for ISO 9001 certified organisations to migrate to the 2015 edition ending 15th September 2018, this investigation aims to evaluate the status of ISO 9001:2015 ...transition process and provide useful knowledge on the corresponding motivations, benefits, and success factors.Methodology/Approach: An empirical study of more than 300 Portuguese organisations ISO 9001 certified, or in certification process, encompassing a wide range of activities sectors, was carried out.Findings: As of May 2017, 19% of the respondents already have ISO 9001:2015 certification and all the remaining one’s plan to complete the process in time. The principal reported benefits are risk-based thinking, mapping of the organisational context, and stakeholder identification. Simultaneously those were the issues that required more attention and effort to be mastered and implemented. Additionally, there is evidence that ISO 9001:2015 enhances both internal and external organisational issues and generates benefits for all the researched dimensions. Based on the respondents’ responses, organisations who claimed that external motivations were the primary drivers to ISO 9001:2015 implementation systematically rate higher all the benefits when compared with the rating ascribed by those organisations who claimed internal motivations. Moreover, it is possible to conclude that the perceived benefits from ISO 9001:2015 implementation and certification seem to be strongly influenced by two primary dimensions: the (smaller) organisation size and the (lesser) international presence.Research Limitation/implication: Due to ISO 9001:2015 novelty, the results of this investigation should be subject to future confirmation and replicated in other countries to allow a generalisation of the conclusions. Since the survey is based on the perceptions of the organisation’s Managers, there is a potential response bias risk that should be acknowledged.Originality/Value of paper: With more than 1.2 million ISO 9001 certified organisation worldwide, this a highly relevant issue both for organisations, practitioners and academics. Due to ISO 9001:2015 novelty, this investigation aims to fill this research gap.
Among the invasive grasses harming natural ecosystems in Brazil, Guinea‐grass (Megathyrsus maximus) has received significant attention due to its high invasive potential and damage it causes to ...restoration sites. Here, we show the response of seedlings (10 cm to 1 m) and saplings (>1 m) one year after Guinea‐grass removal in a 20‐year‐old restoration site in the Atlantic Forest. Thirty 10 × 20 m plots were installed and assigned into three treatments: control, mechanical removal using gas‐trimmers, and mechanical removal followed by the application of Roundup Transorb R (glyphosate). Forest canopy and grass cover were also assessed. Guinea‐grass was negatively correlated with woody species richness and abundance. Forest canopy cover was positively related to species richness and abundance, and negatively related to Guinea‐grass. Treatments applied were successful in controlling the plant invader and did not cause any significant reduction in the total abundance or richness of saplings after one year. For seedlings, however, the abundance and richness of pioneer woody species increased over time with mechanical removal, while the abundance and richness of non‐pioneer woody species decreased in plots treated with herbicide. We expect regeneration responses to continue to improve with time. Our results support the use of both herbicide and mechanical removal to reduce Guinea‐grass in Atlantic Forest sites undergoing restoration, although the use of herbicide lowers native seedling richness in the short‐term, while mechanical removal may be better for small sites, where it is more feasible and less demanding.
Pour une Europe-fiction Almeida, José Domingues de
Carnets revue electronique d'etudes Françaises,
05/2023, Letnik:
25, Številka:
Deuxième série - 25
Journal Article
Recenzirano
Odprti dostop
The aim is to propose reading notes on the fictionalisation of Europe, based on a comparative literary corpus, and using translation between major and minor European languages. We will thus ...illustrate the plurality of critical approaches which, from postcolonial to liminal, account for the complexity of the European question today.
pt Portugal herdou do reino mater de Leão as fontes jurídicas e os seus primeiros códices de Direito. Com o renascimento jurídico do Direito romano, os textos de Ius commune –que chegam muito cedo, ...logo no século XII– passam a preencher o quotidiano jurídico do reino, desde a media aetas até ao movimento iluminista de finais do século XVIII. Ingentes esforços de investigação se tem feito para localizar cronológica e espacialmente os restos indiciários desses medievos textos jurídicos. Este trabalho pretende fazer uma súmula, com vista a uma perspectiva integral e actualizada, do status quaestionis desta temática.
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